{"id":1161,"date":"2019-09-22T18:47:18","date_gmt":"2019-09-23T00:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/?p=1161"},"modified":"2019-09-22T19:00:31","modified_gmt":"2019-09-23T01:00:31","slug":"shanghaied-by-social-media-your-attention-is-a-commodity-app-designers-are-using-addictive-design-to-hijack-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/2019\/09\/22\/shanghaied-by-social-media-your-attention-is-a-commodity-app-designers-are-using-addictive-design-to-hijack-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Shanghaied by Social Media: Your Attention Is a Commodity &#038; App Designers Are Using Addictive Design to Hijack It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"840\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/michael-podger-jpgRztEuaV4-unsplash.jpg?resize=840%2C560&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1164\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/michael-podger-jpgRztEuaV4-unsplash.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/michael-podger-jpgRztEuaV4-unsplash.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/michael-podger-jpgRztEuaV4-unsplash.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/michael-podger-jpgRztEuaV4-unsplash.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/michael-podger-jpgRztEuaV4-unsplash.jpg?w=1680&amp;ssl=1 1680w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/michael-podger-jpgRztEuaV4-unsplash.jpg?w=2520&amp;ssl=1 2520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><figcaption> Photo by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@jammypodger7470?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\">michael podger<\/a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/s\/photos\/trap?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\">Unsplash<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph\">Tristan Harris wants you to know that your attention is a\ncommodity. In fact, it\u2019s such a commodity that app designers are crossing\nethical lines to grab as much of it as they can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his 2016 TED Talk, Harris describes the root of the situation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>\u201c[E]very news site, TED, elections, politicians, games, even meditation apps have to compete for only one thing, which is our attention, and there\u2019s only so much of it. And the best way to get people\u2019s attention is to know how someone\u2019s mind works. And there\u2019s a whole bunch of persuasive techniques that I learned in college at a lab called the Persuasive Technology Lab to get people\u2019s attention.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lab he\u2019s referring to here is infamous. If there\u2019s an\norigin story about how addictive design and social media became so intertwined,\nits setting would be there \u2013 at Stanford\u2019s Persuasive Technology Lab. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Motivation + Prompt + Ability = Addiction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Back in the mid-to-late 2000s, the Persuasive Technology Lab and its instructor (BJ Fogg) introduced Silicon Valley to the formula at the heart of technology addiction: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.behaviormodel.org\/ \">Fogg\u2019s Behavior Model<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Fogg\u2019s Behavior Model, there are three forces \u2013 motivation, prompt, and ability \u2013 that work together to drive user activity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Motivation<\/strong>: A reason for users to act. Fogg categorizes them as:<ul><li>Sensation (pleasure\/pain)<\/li><li>Anticipation (hope\/fear), and <\/li><li>Belonging (acceptance\/rejection)<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Prompt (or Trigger)<\/strong>: An external or internal \u201ccall to action\u201d that reminds users to do a certain behavior.<\/li><li><strong>Ability<\/strong>: Designing in a way that makes a behavior easier to do.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Take, for example, Facebook\u2019s app. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Motivation<\/strong>: Receiving \u201clikes\u201d on something you posted acts as a form of validation and thus motivation to use the app<\/li><li><strong>Prompt<\/strong>: Push notifications telling you that you\u2019ve received a \u201clike\u201d act as a trigger to pull you back into the app.<\/li><li><strong>Ability<\/strong>: The moment you open the app, you can easily and mindlessly peruse material in your feed\u2019s \u201cinfinite scroll\u201d will keep your attention with minimal effort on your part.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Think of any popular app (Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube) and the ways they use these three forces to keep users&#8217; attention hooked become prolifically apparent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Even Creators Get Hooked<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/bruce-warrington-kqpZRfHO2S0-unsplash.jpg?resize=768%2C659&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Hooked By Social Media, Like a Fish\" class=\"wp-image-1166\" width=\"768\" height=\"659\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/bruce-warrington-kqpZRfHO2S0-unsplash.jpg?resize=1024%2C879&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/bruce-warrington-kqpZRfHO2S0-unsplash.jpg?resize=300%2C258&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/bruce-warrington-kqpZRfHO2S0-unsplash.jpg?resize=768%2C659&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/bruce-warrington-kqpZRfHO2S0-unsplash.jpg?resize=1200%2C1030&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/bruce-warrington-kqpZRfHO2S0-unsplash.jpg?w=1680&amp;ssl=1 1680w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/bruce-warrington-kqpZRfHO2S0-unsplash.jpg?w=2520&amp;ssl=1 2520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption> Photo by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@brucebmax?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\">Bruce Warrington<\/a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/s\/photos\/fishing-hook?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\">Unsplash<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even Silicone Valley designers have found themselves hooked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leah Pearlman, co-inventor of Facebook\u2019s \u201clike\u201d button, realized she had become addicted to Facebook after she caught herself using the number of \u201clikes\u201d she received as a stand-in for self-worth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Describing her mindset at the time, Leah recalls:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;When I need validation &#8211; I go to check Facebook. &#8220;I&#8217;m feeling lonely, &#8216;Let me check my phone.&#8217; I&#8217;m feeling insecure, &#8216;Let me check my phone.'&#8221;   &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/technology-44640959\">BBC interview<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And while many designers of this addictive tech did not set out to do an ethically dubious thing, they feel responsible:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In 2006 Mr Raskin, a leading technology engineer himself, designed infinite scroll, one of the features of many apps that is now seen as highly habit forming. At the time, he was working for Humanized &#8211; a computer user-interface consultancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Infinite scroll allows users to endlessly swipe down through content without clicking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;If you don&#8217;t give your brain time to catch up with your impulses,&#8221; Mr Raskin said, &#8220;you just keep scrolling.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">He said the innovation kept users looking at their phones far longer than necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Mr Raskin said he had not set out to addict people and now felt guilty about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:right\" class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">&#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/technology-44640959\">BBC interview<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Harris&#8217; Call to Arms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tristan Harris has been fighting against tech\u2019s manipulative\ndesign practices since he was working for Google back in 2012, when his\n144-slide presentation \u201cA Call to Minimize Distraction and Respect Users\u2019\nAttention\u201d went viral across thousands of Google employees. Since then, Harris\nbecame Google\u2019s first \u201cdesign ethicist\u201d before breaking ties and founding his\nown nonprofit, the Center for Humane Technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Harris thinks three changes need to take place before addictive\ntechnological design loses its hold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First, technology users need to become aware that their attention is being deliberately cultivated by tech. He argues that this does not have to be an all-or-nothing approach: <a href=\"https:\/\/humanetech.com\/resources\/take-control\/\">users can make simple changes (such as turning off all push notifications) to regain control over their tech habits.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Second, the business model of tech and the accountability\nsystems around it needs to become more transparent and ethical \u2013 something that\nwill only happen once the people in the locus of control become more\naccountable and transparent. This could potentially change with some of the\nlegal challenges to tech giants we\u2019ve seen developing in the wake of the\nCambridge Analytica scandal, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Third, app design needs to go through a second birth \u2013 \u201cdesign renaissance\u201d \u2013 in which design choices like Fogg\u2019s Behavior Model are used to encourage beneficial instead of addictive user behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reflecting on Addictive Design<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What are your thoughts on addictive app design? Do you think\nHarris\u2019 suggestions are viable?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Further Reading<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Andersson, H. (2018). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/technology-44640959\">Social media apps are \u201cdeliberately\u201d addictive to users<\/a>. <em>BBC Panorama<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stolzoff, S. <a href=\"http:\/\/ https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/phone-addiction-formula\/\">The formula for phone addiction might double as a cure: Ten years ago, a Stanford lab created the formula to make technology addictive<\/a>. Now, Silicon Valley is dealing with the consequences. <em>Wired<\/em>. Feb. 2, 2018. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tristan Harris&#8217; TED Talk: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/tristan_harris_the_manipulative_tricks_tech_companies_use_to_capture_your_attention\/up-next\">&#8220;The Manipulative Tricks Tech Companies Use to Capture Your Attention&#8221;<\/a> (2016)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tristan Harris&#8217;s Non-Profit: <a href=\"https:\/\/humanetech.com\/ \">The Center for Humane Technology<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tristan Harris wants you to know that your attention is a commodity. In fact, it\u2019s such a commodity that app designers are crossing ethical lines to grab as much of it as they can. In his 2016 TED Talk, Harris describes the root of the situation: \u201c[E]very news site, TED, elections, politicians, games, even meditation &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/2019\/09\/22\/shanghaied-by-social-media-your-attention-is-a-commodity-app-designers-are-using-addictive-design-to-hijack-it\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Shanghaied by Social Media: Your Attention Is a Commodity &#038; App Designers Are Using Addictive Design to Hijack It&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-social-media"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1161"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1175,"href":"https:\/\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1161\/revisions\/1175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joannadunlap.com\/5665fall19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}