What Marty McFly Never Expected
Back in 1985, when the movie “Back to the Future” came out, we were all infused with excitement about the technological innovations to come – hoverboards, flying cars, and more. As someone who was deeply into technology, even having more hair than I do today, I shared that enthusiasm. But little did Marty McFly know, the real technological revolution was just getting started, and it would have some unexpected social side effects.
You see, I’ve spent the last few decades working with governments, institutions, and hundreds of companies, helping them find ways to be more successful and strategic. And in that time, I’ve come to realize that technology today is radically different than it was 20 or 30 years ago. There are three key reasons why:
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The Speed of Spread: Walkmans took 15-20 years to become a global success, but Spotify reached 100 million users in just 8 years.
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Depth of Impact: According to some statistics, 1 in 10 American adults use a smartphone during sex. Though we know 85% of statistics are made up, it still illustrates technology’s intimate effect on our everyday lives.
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Ease of Use: Babies can use iPads before they can talk. Technology is so accessible and easy to use that it lowers the barrier to entry significantly.
These factors have led to some important social side effects of technological innovation. Take Airbnb, for example – a great company with a fantastic service. But in Barcelona, you may have seen protests against the company because it disrupts local communities and impacts residents’ everyday lives. Or consider self-driving cars, which could save 30,000 or more lives, but also risk inducing unemployment for millions of people who make a living driving vehicles.
The question is, should these companies be the ones to deal with these side effects, whether through laws, taxation, or other means? I believe they should, and there are two key reasons why.
The Moral and Business Arguments
The moral argument is straightforward: as good, value-driven corporate citizens, companies should consider the impact of their innovations, just as we do in our personal lives when we turn off taps or send Mother’s Day cards. IKEA, for instance, would not source wood from endangered Brazilian rainforests or fail to engage local communities when opening a new shop.
But there’s also a well-understood business argument: if a company isn’t engaged in addressing an issue, it will eventually come back to bite them. Sooner or later, there will be some kind of backlash, whether it’s protests, loss of business, or new taxes. So companies need to proactively engage with these social side effects.
When and How to Address Social Impact
The challenge is, when should a company start addressing these issues? For most tech startups, the number one concern is growth – getting customers, funding, and a smooth supply chain. Social concerns are often an afterthought.
But when a company, especially a tech company, starts to scale up and has millions of users or customers across various countries, that’s the point when they need to start considering the impact of what they do. And there are three main ways they can address it:
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Show Empathy and Name the Problem: Facebook, for example, faced criticism for the use of its platform to spread fake news and enable bullying or even suicide. Mark Zuckerberg responded with a 6,000-word memo acknowledging the issues and trying to address them.
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Compromise on the Short-Term for the Long-Term: Apple, for instance, limits the ability to send texts while driving through its iPhone operating system, prioritizing safety over short-term user convenience.
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Sponsor Third-Party Programs: As self-driving cars become a reality, companies could help fund educational programs or initiatives to retrain drivers for new jobs, taking responsibility for the impact of their innovation.
The pace of technological change is only accelerating, and the social side effects will continue to emerge. Whether you’re working in or founding a company focused on robotics, AI, biotechnology, or any other field, I urge you to consider these impacts. Not only is it the morally right thing to do, but it’s also a smart business move.
After all, we all want to be living in a future that Marty McFly would be happy to come back to. And by proactively addressing the social side effects of our innovations, we can help make that a reality.
The Magician’s Tricks
You might be wondering, how exactly do technology companies “hijack” our minds and exploit our psychological vulnerabilities? Well, just like magicians, they know how to push our buttons and play us like a piano.
As a former magician myself, I learned to think this way by looking for the blind spots, edges, vulnerabilities, and limits of people’s perception. Magicians use this knowledge to influence what people do without them even realizing it. And product designers do the same thing to your mind.
One of the key techniques they use is giving people the illusion of free choice, while subtly architecting the “menu” of options to ensure they win no matter what you choose. It’s like Yelp recommending bars with the best cocktail photos, even though that might not align with your original desire to keep a conversation going.
Another trick is turning apps and websites into slot machines, leveraging our addiction to intermittent variable rewards. Just like with gambling, the unpredictability of likes, notifications, and new messages keeps us coming back again and again, unable to resist the lure of that potential payoff.
Tech companies also exploit our need for social approval and reciprocation. They can manipulate how often we experience those feelings of validation or obligation, pulling us back to their platforms time and time again.
And finally, they design experiences to keep us consuming endlessly, like Netflix’s autoplay feature that serves up the next video before we even have a chance to consciously choose. It’s the digital equivalent of the bottomless soup bowl.
A Time Well Spent Future
The truth is, these techniques are used by countless tech companies, all competing for our attention and time. And while we may feel powerless against such sophisticated manipulation, there is hope for a better future.
Imagine a world where technology companies had a responsibility to minimize these psychological vulnerabilities, where there was an independent industry consortium or “FDA for tech” monitoring for abuses. A world where our smartphones, notifications, and web browsers were designed as “exoskeletons for our minds,” putting our values and well-being first, not our impulses.
It’s a future I’m deeply passionate about, and one I believe is possible if we come together to demand better. Because our time is valuable, and it deserves to be protected with the same rigor as our privacy and other digital rights.
So the next time you find yourself mindlessly scrolling or compulsively checking notifications, remember the magician’s tricks at play. And let’s work together to build a technology ecosystem that truly serves us, not the other way around.
After all, as the saying goes, “It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they’ve been fooled.” Let’s not be the fools – let’s be the ones demanding a more human-centered, socially responsible digital future.
