Tech Companies Tricks
Tristan Harris' Ted Talk is one of the realist, most interesting Ted Talks that I've listened to. I was interested from the beginning of his Ted Talk-- he did a really amazing job at capturing the listener's attention right away. It really made me start to think; so many websites and tech companies have subtly managed to somewhat run our lives.
The autoplay comments he first pointed out made me see and realize how true it is. There have been times where I'll be on Facebook, scrolling casually through my newsfeed, before one interesting video begins to play; without me even clicking on it! From there, similar videos begin to autoplay. Before I know it, I've spent twenty/thirty minutes watching silly videos on Facebook. The same goes with YouTube's autoplay, as well as the simple autoplay of Netflix's next episode, like Harris mentioned.
Harris mentioned the reaction of outrage, followed by saying that outrage is one of the best ways to get a reaction and notice from people. It is a bit crazy to think how simple it is for billions of people, including myself, to sit on their phones, laptops, tablets, or whatever else device they're on, and mindlessly watch videos over and over again for such large amounts of time. I wouldn't say it outrages me, possibly because I'm one of those people, but I could see why it would anger others. People could be doing so many other productive things with their time instead of sitting on their phones, but with this age in time, it is an issue that I don't think we can overcome. Technology has become such a big part of people's lives and such a big part of the world; it is not something that can just be thrown away and forgotten about. Plus, technology is only advancing and getting "smarter", as some people would say.
Around eleven minutes in, Harris speaks of how we need to face the world's current problems instead of worrying about what problems might possibly arise in the future. I agree with this thought completely. I think so many people focus on the future and what problems can come from it, yet ignore the problems that are happening currently in the world. Some people are ready to face the problems that the future may bring head on; why don't they do the same with issues that are already here and need to be faced?
Like I said, this was one of the most interesting Ted Talks I've heart. It is not only about a topic that relates to this class, but also, my own personal life. If I feel lonely or bored, just like Harris mentioned in his Talk, I'll find myself reaching for my phone. Social media runs the lives of so many people, just like me. I'm constantly on my phone or computer, scrolling through my Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. It keeps me entertained, which keeps the site itself popular as long as I, and thousands of others, continue to use them. Which, is exactly what we do.
The autoplay comments he first pointed out made me see and realize how true it is. There have been times where I'll be on Facebook, scrolling casually through my newsfeed, before one interesting video begins to play; without me even clicking on it! From there, similar videos begin to autoplay. Before I know it, I've spent twenty/thirty minutes watching silly videos on Facebook. The same goes with YouTube's autoplay, as well as the simple autoplay of Netflix's next episode, like Harris mentioned.
Harris mentioned the reaction of outrage, followed by saying that outrage is one of the best ways to get a reaction and notice from people. It is a bit crazy to think how simple it is for billions of people, including myself, to sit on their phones, laptops, tablets, or whatever else device they're on, and mindlessly watch videos over and over again for such large amounts of time. I wouldn't say it outrages me, possibly because I'm one of those people, but I could see why it would anger others. People could be doing so many other productive things with their time instead of sitting on their phones, but with this age in time, it is an issue that I don't think we can overcome. Technology has become such a big part of people's lives and such a big part of the world; it is not something that can just be thrown away and forgotten about. Plus, technology is only advancing and getting "smarter", as some people would say.
Around eleven minutes in, Harris speaks of how we need to face the world's current problems instead of worrying about what problems might possibly arise in the future. I agree with this thought completely. I think so many people focus on the future and what problems can come from it, yet ignore the problems that are happening currently in the world. Some people are ready to face the problems that the future may bring head on; why don't they do the same with issues that are already here and need to be faced?
Like I said, this was one of the most interesting Ted Talks I've heart. It is not only about a topic that relates to this class, but also, my own personal life. If I feel lonely or bored, just like Harris mentioned in his Talk, I'll find myself reaching for my phone. Social media runs the lives of so many people, just like me. I'm constantly on my phone or computer, scrolling through my Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. It keeps me entertained, which keeps the site itself popular as long as I, and thousands of others, continue to use them. Which, is exactly what we do.
Well, we always have choices. We choose which social media platforms we use just as we choose how often we engage with them. While I agree we can't just throw technology away, that's a lot different than saying that we can't overcome the way that large tech companies manipulate us to consume more products. That we DO have control over.
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One thing I have noticed recently with Facebook is that they notify how many days you have posted in a row. I remember when I first got the notification this had me posting something at least once a day. I think that this was a technique that caught my attention and I did use. I think that they Tristan would agree that Facebook has tried to do things such as scheduling dinners and events. Today I receive event notification for birthdays, weddings, baby showers and so on. Here you are presented with the option to rsvp and select if you are going, maybe, or no.
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