Recently a photograph collection circulated called ‘The Death of Conversation’. It was a series of black and whites taken of unknowing members of the public who, in social situations, had abandoned conversation in favour of looking at their mobile phones. It went viral and ended up featured in TIME magazine and the New York Times. The most fascinating thing about the photographs is that they show an outsiders perspective of a habit that we all participate in. On many an occasion we opt for the spikes of thrill we can find on opening social media notifications, receiving likes or being retweeted.
Social media access follows us around now with our mobile phones, but it’s no accident that we experience psychological reward using these apps. Nathalie Nahai is a web psychologist. An expert exploring just how the design of the web manipulates and heightens our sense of reward. Her book, Webs of Influence, explores just how technology is strategically created with us in mind – to make us click.
Want to know why you can’t resist clicking on an article or why you need to check on your notifications regularly? Then you’ll love today’s episode. If you want to master some control over the mini-dopamine rush sought with every click, best understand just how it all works.
