How Technology Hacks People's Minds
How Technology Hacks People's Minds
This article is just too damn good not to share - easily the best I've read in recent memory. I forget who first shared it here but thank you.
https://medium.com/@tristanharris/how-technology-hijacks-peoples-minds-from-a-magician-and-google-s-design-ethicist-56d62ef5edf3#.x953hbytl
It discusses 10 psychological hacks used in designing (typically) digital products and services to better grab and hold your attention, to the point of inducing a form of addiction if possible. In summary these are:
1. Controlling the menu to control the choices.
2. Making the experience like a slot machine.
3. The fear of missing something important.
4. The need for social approval.
5. Social favours and reciprocity.
6. Infinite feeds and autoplay.
7. Instant, "urgent" interruption.
8. Making your reasons their reasons.
9. Offering choices that are inconvenient.
10. Forecasting errors via foot-in-the-door tactics.
The author Tristan Harris worked for Google as a Product Philosopher / Design Ethicist exploring and recommending ways to protect and defend people's minds from being hijacked and their time from being wasted.
We need our smartphones, notifications screens and web browsers to be exoskeletons for our minds and interpersonal relationships that put our values, not our impulses, first. People’s time is valuable. And we should protect it with the same rigor as privacy and other digital rights.
Other Resources
Tristan's TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT5rRh9AZf4
Tristan's resource site for better design and time saving: http://timewellspent.io/
https://medium.com/@tristanharris/how-technology-hijacks-peoples-minds-from-a-magician-and-google-s-design-ethicist-56d62ef5edf3#.x953hbytl
This article is just too damn good not to share - easily the best I've read in recent memory. I forget who first shared it here but thank you.
https://medium.com/@tristanharris/how-technology-hijacks-peoples-minds-from-a-magician-and-google-s-design-ethicist-56d62ef5edf3#.x953hbytl
It discusses 10 psychological hacks used in designing (typically) digital products and services to better grab and hold your attention, to the point of inducing a form of addiction if possible. In summary these are:
1. Controlling the menu to control the choices.
2. Making the experience like a slot machine.
3. The fear of missing something important.
4. The need for social approval.
5. Social favours and reciprocity.
6. Infinite feeds and autoplay.
7. Instant, "urgent" interruption.
8. Making your reasons their reasons.
9. Offering choices that are inconvenient.
10. Forecasting errors via foot-in-the-door tactics.
The author Tristan Harris worked for Google as a Product Philosopher / Design Ethicist exploring and recommending ways to protect and defend people's minds from being hijacked and their time from being wasted.
We need our smartphones, notifications screens and web browsers to be exoskeletons for our minds and interpersonal relationships that put our values, not our impulses, first. People’s time is valuable. And we should protect it with the same rigor as privacy and other digital rights.
Other Resources
Tristan's TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT5rRh9AZf4
Tristan's resource site for better design and time saving: http://timewellspent.io/
https://medium.com/@tristanharris/how-technology-hijacks-peoples-minds-from-a-magician-and-google-s-design-ethicist-56d62ef5edf3#.x953hbytl
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