Main content
Course: Social media literacy > Unit 3
Lesson 1: Introduction to the persuasive technology unitIntroduction to the persuasive technology unit
Why can't you stop looking at your phone?
Overview of the unit
The race to profit from attention incentivizes companies to develop increasingly persuasive techniques – notifications, social cues, personalized feeds, and more – to keep you coming back and monitor your behavior to analyze you as well as they can.
In this unit, you’ll learn:
- What persuasive technology is
- Why we’re vulnerable to it
- How to identify persuasive design features on the apps you use
By understanding persuasive technology, you’ll be able to identify the difference between technology that uses you and humane technology that is useful to you.
Introduction
“I got addicted, always checking my phone, obsessed with keeping my streaks, worrying that someone needed my attention 24/7.”
–Dasani, Age 16, Phoenix, AZ
“I remember one night specifically that was probably when I was at my peak of using [TikTok] when I just caught myself using it for a couple of hours without stopping.”
–Siri, Age 13, Cary, NC
We tend to think of our phones and computers as tools. We use a hammer to secure a nail; we use our phone to stay in touch. But if our devices are just tools, how do they have such a strong impact on our lives? Are we using our technology, or is it using us?
In the Attention Economy unit, we discussed how social media companies are caught in a race for attention that shapes the apps we use every day. Their products are free to us because we are the products being sold.
Dasani and Siri’s experiences on social media are the outcome of a system incentivized to develop features designed to grab and keep your attention. To understand the role of social media in our lives and our world, it’s important to be able to identify these features and understand where they come from.
Want to join the conversation?
can technology help with cancer and help us find things to help cur it(1 vote)
Absolutely! Technology plays a crucial role in cancer research, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, genomics, big data analytics, and molecular imaging are being used to better understand cancer biology, identify biomarkers for early detection, personalize treatment plans, and develop innovative therapies. Additionally, technology enables collaboration among researchers worldwide, accelerating the pace of discovery and bringing us closer to finding effective treatments and ultimately curing cancer.(1 vote)
in ways couldent this be a persayseve technolgy thing?
it pulled me in like you said other companys did, because i thought it might be a danger.(1 vote)- Interactive information technology designed for changing users' attitudes or behavior in the field of human–computer interaction.(0 votes)