The “Social Dilemma” Dilemma
I remember how it happened. I woke up one morning to see a deluge of content on my social media feeds, all about how manipulative social media was. Office Slack channels at the tech startup where I work were abuzz with discussions of the evil tech industry. A few buzzwords were thrown around in conversation—dopamine, data harvesting, algorithms, dark patterns. Apparently, Netflix had released a docudrama called The Social Dilemma, exploring the dangerous impacts of social networking, and the misuse of data and deceptive design to manipulate people.
I just had to know more. But how could I?
Check out any time you like, but you can never…
A few weeks before this, I had decided to uninstall Netflix from my phone. I didn’t want the app sitting there as an easy getaway to bottomless entertainment. Much to my amusement, I learned that Netflix was a stock app on my phone, which means the manufacturer and Netflix had decided that the app was to be a permanent fixture on my device.
In other words: You can disable it anytime you like, but you can never leave!
The irony of all this was too much for me. Learning about a documentary on the harmful effects of social media, via social media. Watching a documentary about ethical design on a streaming service that doesn’t give me the autonomy to delete their app. Finishing the documentary and then being immediately recommended 10 other similar shows I would love, by the very algorithms that the documentary has just condemned.
As a behavioral scientist, I should have known better than to be surprised.
The problem is, if Robinson Crusoe had spotted a functional boat, he would have taken it and gotten the hell off the island. For the unacquainted, Robinson Crusoe is the protagonist of a novel by the same name, first published in 1917, telling the story of a castaway who spent 28 years on a deserted island before being rescued.1
Businesses are like Robinson Crusoe on the island: stranded. With financials that need to look fat and healthy, leaky customer funnels that need to be fixed, investors who expect returns, and customers who want the best, corporations are desperate for any solution that will help them stay afloat.
For many businesses, a boat appeared in the form of behavioral design. All these shortcuts that seem to help solve some of their problems, delivering higher customer engagement, more returning customers, and solving for all the metrics they cared about. Why wouldn’t they take advantage?
I am not justifying the use of manipulation, but merely making the case that the knowledge of behavioral science that is out there already is, to use a cliché, like toothpaste out of a tube. It cannot be taken back, and as long as it is out there without any guardrails, it will be misused.
Which brings me to the next point: Who is responsible for the ethics in the private sector?
References
1. Wikipedia. (n.d.). Robinson Crusoe. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved October 30, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinson_Crusoe
2. US Congress. (2019, April 9). Text – S.1084 – 116th Congress (2019-2020): Deceptive experiences to online users reduction act. Library of Congress. https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1084/text
3. Kelly, M. (2019, April 9). Big tech’s ‘dark patterns’ could be outlawed under new Senate bill. The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/9/18302199/big-tech-dark-patterns-senate-bill-detour-act-facebook-google-amazon-twitter
4. David Evans. (2019, March 11). Evans DC Ethics of Behavioral Design [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/KvHRokv63-0
5. Szmigin, I., Carrigan, M., & McEachern, M. G. (2009). The conscious consumer: taking a flexible approach to ethical behaviour. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 33(2), 224-231.
About the Author
Preeti Kotamarthi
Preeti Kotamarthi has built and led Behavioral Science teams at two of the largest tech companies in Southeast Asia and India. She established the Behavioral Science practice at Grab, helping product and design teams understand customer behavior to create better user experiences. Currently, she heads Behavioral Science and User Research at Swiggy, where she continues to blend data, design, and human insights—drawing inspiration from spending a lot of time with Indian consumers. With a Masters in Behavioral Science from the London School of Economics and an MBA in Marketing from FMS Delhi, Preeti brings over 12 years of experience in consumer products, from co-founding a rural startup in India to shaping behavioral design in tech. Her passion lies in making behavioral science a core part of the product development process. When she’s not uncovering human insights at work, she’s likely busy applying behavioral lessons on her two-year-old.
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