The economic principle I am exploring is how people generally respond to incentives in predictable ways. My research question to help me study this economic principle is: How do social media companies design apps to incentivize people to use them longer? What effect does this have on individuals, society, and business?
The article published in Vice Media titled “Your Addiction to Social Media is No Accident,” demonstrates this economic principle because it shows how social media companies design their apps to make their users continue using -- and that it works! Overall, social media companies are using manipulative tactics, almost like that of casinos.
The article published in Vice Media titled “Your Addiction to Social Media is No Accident,” demonstrates this economic principle because it shows how social media companies design their apps to make their users continue using -- and that it works! Overall, social media companies are using manipulative tactics, almost like that of casinos.
First, the like button was created. The like button creates this “craving for validation, experienced by billions around the globe, that's currently pushing platform engagement in ways that in 2009 were unimaginable. But more than that, it's driving profits to levels that were previously impossible,” explains the article. When you like someone’s post, maybe in return they’ll like yours. Users will compare their “likes” to that of others, which induces the desire for validation.
Second, read receipts and the dots that appear when someone is replying incentivizes a person to respond. I am messaging my friend; I know if I don’t reply, she will see that I have read her message and chose not to reply; therefore, I am more likely to continue replying. When someone is typing to you on, for example, Facebook or imessage, three dots appear. This causes people to stay on and wait for the person to respond. Snapchat streaks, which incentivize people to use Snapchat daily, has shown to be extremely effective in keeping users using their app.
Third, the three second delay experienced when a user is refreshing his feed is one hundred percent intentional. It leads to anticipation; will I win? Meaning will I have notifications? And once it loads, the user feels a burst of happiness that is so quick, it is almost addictive. This causes them to continue opening the app and scrolling.
Every part of a social media app is designed purposefully, and users fall right into their manipulation, responding exactly how the company anticipated.
In my next blog post I will research: How businesses are affected by society’s continuous usage of social media apps.
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