4 ms·

The headline claims it's "no accident", but couldn't these properties evolve out of a lot of A/B testing without the product managers or engineers realizing the

The headline claims it's "no accident", but couldn't these properties evolve out of a lot of A/B testing without the product managers or engineers realizing the broader behavioral implications?

trebor 9y ago
Sure. But that also doesn't mean it's an accident. They're trying to increase engagement, and what do they have at hand other than addictive techniques?
- graphitezepp 9y ago
  Would it be fair to say addiction is just a state of near maximum engagement?
- yourapostasy 9y ago
  > ...and what do they have at hand other than addictive techniques? Reaching for addictive behavioral models is like reaching for management policies when the hard work and long-term investment into leadership is more sustainable. To directly respond to your question, they can for example move to a facilitation model; engagement is encouraged through longer discourse, or through editorial staff whose job is to summarize viewpoints/trends/patterns that quickly bring newcomers up to speed, but they do not moderate. Another possibility is an aspiration model that shows the small steps and decisions it takes to succeed, rather than orient towards the highlights reel view favored today. Say someone you admire and follow wakes up at 3 am to go work out: the social media connection time-shifts to your timezone, corrects for your distance to your gym, and encourages you via your smartwatch to do the same, in realtime. They eat exactly 100g of oatmeal for breakfast; the social media connection corrects for your body measurements (lean body mass, gender, height, etc.), and says you can eat 90g to follow your aspiration person. Yet another possibility is community-wide goal setting and pursuit. Engagement through groups creating their own layouts, platform-based applications, etc. to both decide and pursue their goals. There are more models to consider. I posit they are not pursued by FB because they decided they cannot monetize those models under their current ad-driven monetization model, which in turn is governed by the capitalist (though not necessarily free market) model they operate under. Relax some or all of those constraints, and the other kinds of engagement models might emerge?
j-c-hewitt 9y ago
It's not really an emergent property but anything driven by selling attention has been engineered and tested to draw attention reliably. From print media to radio and TV the formats are chosen in a way that boosts engagement. From publishing short stories in serial in the 19th century to closing a local news segment with a teaser for a breaking story, these products are designed to be habit forming.
- dredmorbius 9y ago
  I think it's actually difficult to untangle the two aspects. Especially when you consider the success ... or more accurately lack thereof ... of attempts to deliberately counter the tendency. I think this is fairly deep psychological wiring, and possibly informational dynamics, period. This from someone who detests the practice and would much rather see alternatives.

The headline claims it's "no accident", but couldn't these properties evolve out of a lot of A/B testing without the product managers or engineers realizing the broader behavioral implications?

trebor 9y ago

Sure. But that also doesn't mean it's an accident. They're trying to increase engagement, and what do they have at hand other than addictive techniques?

graphitezepp 9y ago
Would it be fair to say addiction is just a state of near maximum engagement?
yourapostasy 9y ago
> ...and what do they have at hand other than addictive techniques? Reaching for addictive behavioral models is like reaching for management policies when the hard work and long-term investment into leadership is more sustainable. To directly respond to your question, they can for example move to a facilitation model; engagement is encouraged through longer discourse, or through editorial staff whose job is to summarize viewpoints/trends/patterns that quickly bring newcomers up to speed, but they do not moderate. Another possibility is an aspiration model that shows the small steps and decisions it takes to succeed, rather than orient towards the highlights reel view favored today. Say someone you admire and follow wakes up at 3 am to go work out: the social media connection time-shifts to your timezone, corrects for your distance to your gym, and encourages you via your smartwatch to do the same, in realtime. They eat exactly 100g of oatmeal for breakfast; the social media connection corrects for your body measurements (lean body mass, gender, height, etc.), and says you can eat 90g to follow your aspiration person. Yet another possibility is community-wide goal setting and pursuit. Engagement through groups creating their own layouts, platform-based applications, etc. to both decide and pursue their goals. There are more models to consider. I posit they are not pursued by FB because they decided they cannot monetize those models under their current ad-driven monetization model, which in turn is governed by the capitalist (though not necessarily free market) model they operate under. Relax some or all of those constraints, and the other kinds of engagement models might emerge?

j-c-hewitt 9y ago

It's not really an emergent property but anything driven by selling attention has been engineered and tested to draw attention reliably. From print media to radio and TV the formats are chosen in a way that boosts engagement. From publishing short stories in serial in the 19th century to closing a local news segment with a teaser for a breaking story, these products are designed to be habit forming.

dredmorbius 9y ago
I think it's actually difficult to untangle the two aspects. Especially when you consider the success ... or more accurately lack thereof ... of attempts to deliberately counter the tendency. I think this is fairly deep psychological wiring, and possibly informational dynamics, period. This from someone who detests the practice and would much rather see alternatives.