In our second installment of the Captology mini-series Manal and Reinhardt drill down into several of the specific tactics and techniques that technologists use to hold us captive.
We look at how the Like and Share buttons were not just quaint additions to the social media landscape but rather, very deliberate and slick missiles that targeted our human desire for social affirmation. We explain what B.F. Skinner’s experiments with mice in the 50’s have to do with modern social media platforms. And we explore the ways that our natural human vulnerabilities can be exploited by Big Tech to get as much of our attention as they can and the catastrophic damage it has left in its wake.
Join Manal and Reinhardt for our second episode of Season 2 of Tech4Evil.com and join the resistance against the excesses of Big Tech. Tune in to our podcast for Crash Courses in Digital Self Defense and spread the word. We are taking back our digital agency and fighting to keep tech good! For young and old and for our collective future.
Special thanks to Cameron Bogatez, founder of fastasarocket.com the new ethical social media that helps you focus.
We want to hear from you. Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at contact@tech4evil.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tech4evil. And if you've spotted Big Tech going too far, use the hashtag #EvilSpotter and mention @Tech4Evil and share your story. Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do by BJ Fogg Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal Social media copies gambling methods 'to create psychological cravings', the Guardian Instagram internal research: ‘We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls’, the Verge Variability Reward, Want to Hook Users?, My Name Is Manj, And I’m Addicted To Notifications, What Makes online Content Viral?, Our Minds can be Hijacked, the Guardian, The psychology of being ‘liked’ on social media, Psychological Research Is Turning Thumbs Down on Facebook ‘Likes’, How Dopamine Influences Behavior, Instagram algorithm can even delay notifications Music and media production by Reinhardt Sosin.