In this edition we look at persuasive tech, or how digital technology is designed to facilitate addiction. While there’s growing recognition of the problem, users are still not aware of how exactly it happens. We’re joined by Pierre Louette, the chairman & CEO of French media Les Echos-Le Parisien along with our tech editor Peter O’Brien to shed light on the strategies.
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Our guest Pierre Louette, the chairman and CEO of French media group Les Echos-Le Parisien, tells us how the GAFA were the first to realise what an incredible gold mine the accumulation of people’s personal data represented. They decided to harness this data to better understand people’s desires and behaviour and in that sense they were pioneers. But they did so while ignoring ethical and moral codes, using all the tricks in the book to become irreplaceable in people’s lives.
From scarcity and social proof to personalisation and reciprocity, Peter O’Brien tells us which precise techniques are used by companies and social media platforms.
As there’s growing evidence that these techniques are leading to addiction, Big Tech is also looking towards digital wellbeing, a sector that is soaring. The relaxation technique dubbed “Autonomous sensory meridian response” has for instance taken the internet by storm.
