The Magician’s Secret
As a former magician, I know a thing or two about exploiting people’s psychological vulnerabilities. Magicians are masters at identifying our blind spots, edges, and limits – then using that knowledge to influence our actions without us even realizing it. [1]
The same techniques magicians use to fool their audiences are now being employed by tech companies to hijack our minds. Product designers are constantly studying our psychological weaknesses, consciously and unconsciously, in order to grab our attention and keep us hooked. [1]
What if I told you that the apps and websites you use every day are manipulating you in ways you can’t even see? That the “free choices” you think you’re making are actually being carefully curated by shadowy tech overlords? Well, buckle up, because I’m about to show you the tech your IT provider definitely doesn’t want you to know about.
The Illusion of Free Choice
Western culture places a high value on individual freedom and the ability to make our own “free” choices. But the reality is, those choices are often cleverly manipulated by the tech companies providing our digital menus. [1]
Think about the last time you and your friends were trying to figure out where to go on a Tuesday night. You probably opened up Yelp, scrolled through a list of bars, and then spent ages comparing cocktail photos and ratings. But did Yelp’s menu of options actually align with your original desire to just keep the conversation going? Nope – it subtly shifted your question from “where can we go to talk more?” to “what’s the best bar with good cocktail photos?” [1]
Even worse, that Yelp menu made you blind to all the other possibilities right in front of you – the live music in the park, the pop-up art gallery serving crepes. You were so mesmerized by the digital choices in front of you that you failed to see the real-world options. [1]
This is exactly how tech companies hijack our perception of choice. They present us with an seemingly comprehensive menu, making us think we’re empowered to pick the best option. But in reality, they’ve already narrowed the field to align with their own interests, not ours. [1]
The Slot Machine in Your Pocket
So how do these tech companies keep us hooked on their products? Simple – they design their apps and websites to function like digital slot machines. [1]
The average person checks their phone 150 times a day. Are we really making 150 conscious choices? Nope – it’s all thanks to that irresistible combination of intermittent variable rewards. Pull the lever (open the app) and you might get a match, a prize, or nothing at all. Just like a slot machine, the unpredictability is what keeps us coming back for more. [1]
In fact, slot machines make more money in the US than baseball, movies, and theme parks combined. And people get “problematically involved” with them 3-4 times faster than other forms of gambling. [1] The tech companies know this, and they’re not above exploiting our psychological vulnerabilities for profit.
The Fear of Missing Out
Another trick tech companies use is instilling a constant fear of missing out. If they can convince us that their platforms are the gatekeepers to important information, messages, and social opportunities, then we’ll be too afraid to unplug or unsubscribe. [1]
But when we do muster the courage to step away, we quickly realize… nothing bad happens. The world doesn’t end, and we don’t actually miss anything crucial. The “fear of missing out” was just an illusion, generated in our minds before we unplugged, not after. [1]
Imagine if tech companies actually helped us proactively curate our digital relationships in ways that supported our real-world wellbeing, instead of exploiting our FOMO. What a novel concept.
The Tyranny of Social Approval
We humans are hardwired to crave social approval and belonging. And tech companies know how to ruthlessly manipulate that vulnerability. [1]
Take Facebook, for example. When your friend tags you in a photo, you probably think they made a conscious choice to do so. But in reality, Facebook’s algorithms are quietly suggesting tags, making it a one-click process for your friend. So that little social validation hit you get? It’s not organic – it’s carefully engineered by the platform. [1]
Or consider changing your profile picture – Facebook knows this is a moment when we’re especially vulnerable to social approval. So they’ll strategically rank that post higher in the news feed, ensuring more friends will like and comment on it. Every time they do, you get pulled right back in. [1]
Teenagers are particularly susceptible to these social manipulation tactics. But make no mistake – we’re all vulnerable to needing that hit of likes and comments. Tech companies are exploiting our basic human needs, and they’re getting filthy rich in the process.
The Tyranny of Social Reciprocity
We humans also have a deep-seated need to reciprocate others’ gestures. And once again, tech companies are taking advantage. [1]
LinkedIn is the prime offender here. Their entire business model is predicated on creating as many social obligations between users as possible. Every time you accept a connection request or endorse someone’s skills, you’re trapped in a cycle of reciprocation that keeps you coming back to the platform. [1]
And it’s not just LinkedIn. Email, texting, and messaging apps are all social reciprocity factories. Even if the tech companies didn’t design them that way intentionally, the end result is the same – millions of people constantly feeling compelled to respond, reply, and engage. [1]
Imagine if there was an independent organization that monitored these abusive tactics and forced tech companies to minimize social reciprocity. Or what if they had to design their products to actively empower users to curate their own digital relationships? A girl can dream.
The Bottomless Bowl
Another way tech companies hack our psychology is by turning finite experiences into bottomless, autoplaying flows that keep us consuming endlessly. [1]
Remember that classic Cornell University study where people ate 73% more soup from a bowl that automatically refilled? The tech companies use the exact same trick. News feeds, video autoplay, social media – they’re all designed to eliminate any natural pauses or stopping points, keeping us scrolling and clicking until we’ve lost all sense of time. [1]
The companies claim they’re just making it easier for us to find the content we want. But in reality, they’re serving their own interests by maximizing “time spent” – the holy grail metric they compete over. [1]
Imagine if tech companies actually empowered us to consciously bound our digital experiences, aligning them with what would be truly “time well spent” for our lives. Wouldn’t that be a novel approach?
Interruption is Profitable
Speaking of time well spent, tech companies have also mastered the art of interruption. They know that messages that interrupt us immediately are far more effective at getting a response than those delivered asynchronously (like email). [1]
So of course, Facebook Messenger and its ilk are designed to pop up in your face the moment a new message arrives. Because interruption = profits. The same goes for heightening that sense of urgency and social reciprocity – Facebook automatically tells the sender when you’ve “seen” their message, guilting you into responding. [1]
This creates a tragedy of the commons, as billions of unnecessary interruptions erode our collective attention spans each day. But hey, as long as the tech companies are raking in the cash, who cares about the long-term societal impact, right?
Inseparable Reasons
Another sinister tactic tech companies employ is making our genuine reasons for using their platforms inseparable from their own profit-driven reasons. [1]
In the physical world, grocery stores do this by putting the pharmacy and milk at the back of the store – forcing you to walk through all their other temptations first. Online, it’s the same story. Want to check a Facebook event? You have to navigate through the news feed first. Need to look up your bank balance? Better log in through the app, which will bombard you with other offers. [1]
Imagine a digital world where there was always a direct path to what we actually want, without being forced to go through intentionally placed distractions. Wouldn’t that be revolutionary?
The Illusion of Control
At the heart of all these manipulation tactics is the illusion of control. Tech companies want us to think we’re making free choices, when in reality, they’re carefully curating the options and making it harder to pick anything that doesn’t serve their interests. [1]
It’s like a magician’s sleight of hand – they give us the impression of agency, while quietly rigging the game in their favor. And just like a magician’s audience, we often don’t realize we’ve been fooled until it’s too late.
But the good news is, we don’t have to be victims. We can learn to see through the illusions, set our own boundaries, and take back control of our digital lives. It won’t be easy, but it’s the only way to truly be free in this increasingly tech-driven world.
So the next time you find yourself mindlessly scrolling, compulsively checking notifications, or feeling the pull of social approval, take a step back and ask yourself: who’s really in charge here? Because I can guarantee it’s not you – or your IT provider, for that matter.
References
[1] Tristan Harris. “How Technology Hijacks People’s Minds — from a Magician and Google’s Design Ethicist.” Thrive Global, 18 May 2016, https://medium.com/thrive-global/how-technology-hijacks-peoples-minds-from-a-magician-and-google-s-design-ethicist-56d62ef5edf3.
[2] “How to Spot, Avoid, and Report Tech Support Scams.” Consumer Information, Federal Trade Commission, 14 Sept. 2022, https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-tech-support-scams.
[3] “If You Don’t Know How to Respond in a Tech Interview.” r/learnprogramming, Reddit, 18 Mar. 2022, https://www.reddit.com/r/learnprogramming/comments/tfva2m/if_you_dont_know_how_to_respond_in_a_tech/.
[4] Magee, Hailey. “How I Stopped Trying to Control My Partner and Took Responsibility for My Own Happiness.” Gottman Institute, 15 Dec. 2022, https://www.gottman.com/blog/how-i-stopped-trying-to-control-my-partner-and-took-responsibility-for-my-own-happiness/.
[5] “Stop Saying ‘Technical Debt’.” Stack Overflow Blog, 27 Dec. 2023, https://stackoverflow.blog/2023/12/27/stop-saying-technical-debt/.
[6] “Need to Speak to a Representative.” Xfinity Community, Comcast, 28 Mar. 2020, https://forums.xfinity.com/conversations/customer-service/need-to-speak-to-a-representative/602dae7bc5375f08cdeb8932.
[7] “I Always Knew I Was Different. I Just Didn’t Know I Was a Sociopath.” The Wall Street Journal, 20 Mar. 2023, https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/i-always-knew-i-was-different-i-just-didnt-know-i-was-a-sociopath-68ebe08b.
[8] Olson, Alison Green. “Ask a Manager.” Ask a Manager, 1 Apr. 2020, https://www.askamanager.org/.
