Spinning a Web: Trust and Autonomy on Social Media
The classic character Svengali, from the novel Trilby by George du Maurier, is often referenced as the quintessentially manipulative figure. Having entered the cultural vocabulary to describe a devious, dishonest person, capable of extraordinary manipulation, a Svengali is seen as crafty and clever, and fundamentally untrustworthy.
In the novel, Svengali is a hypnotist, who seduces and exploits the helpless, innocent title character, Trilby.1 Preying on her vulnerability, Svengali demonstrates no conscientious apprehension in taking advantage of her, and turning her into a great, but entirely dependent, singer. An illustration by du Maurier, released shortly after the novel’s publication, portrays Svengali as a spider, spinning an intricate web, used to metaphorically demonstrate his cunning guile and talent for entrapment.2
The relationship between the fictional characters continues to be compelling as a story of exploitation. Trilby is a tragic figure not because of her difficulties, but because she is ultimately not the author of her own story. Svengali’s intervention in her life strips her of her agency, making her prey to his wishes and desires.
While du Maurier uses a literal web to depict this manipulation, various experiences on the virtual web are now raising similar concerns. The recent documentary, The Social Dilemma, portrays a community of Svengali-like Silicon Valley software engineers and social media platform designers.3 According to the documentary, influential strategists from companies like Facebook and Instagram have carefully manipulated their users’ experiences to elicit chemical reactions in the brain that foster dependent behavior from them.
This rapidly emerging dynamic coincides with a growing societal difficulty: while social media usage continues to rise globally,4 so do rates of anxiety, frequently associated with these platforms. This tension, where repeat behavior persists in the face of mounting consequences,5 raises questions about the role of addiction in social media usage.
This article intends to explore that dynamic further. Beginning by outlining how social media platforms are designed to elicit dependent behavior, it will then examine how dependency affects personal well-being, before concluding with a suggestion of how social media designers can potentially restore a sense of autonomy and satisfaction in their users.
References
- Trilby: novel by du Maurier [Internet]. Britannica. [cited 2020 Nov 5]. Available from: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Trilby
- Svengali as a spider, in his web [Internet]. 1931 [cited 2020 Nov 5]. Available from: https://archive.org/details/SvengaliJohnBarrymoreBKCap1931
- The Social Dilemma [Internet]. [cited 2020 Nov 5]. Available from: https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/
- Number of Social Media Users in 2020: Demographics & Predictions – Financesonline.com [Internet]. [cited 2020 Oct 25]. Available from: https://financesonline.com/number-of-social-media-users/
- Addiction | Psychology Today Canada [Internet]. Psychology Today. [cited 2020 Nov 5]. Available from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/basics/addiction
- Robinson TE, Berridge KC. The Neural Basis of Drug Craving: An Incentive-Sensitization Theory of Addiction. Brain Res Rev [Internet]. 1993 [cited 2018 Jun 8];18:247–91. Available from: https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/30601/0000238.pdf?sequence=1
- Griffiths MD. Adolescent Social Networking: How Do Social Media Operators Facilitate Habitual Use? Educ Heal. 2018;36(3):66–9.
- Morgans J. Your Addiction to Social Media Is No Accident [Internet]. Vice. 2017 [cited 2020 Nov 5]. Available from: https://www.vice.com/en/article/vv5jkb/the-secret-ways-social-media-is-built-for-addiction
- McCarthy C. Anxiety in Teens is Rising: What’s Going On? [Internet]. American Academy of Pediatrics. 2019 [cited 2020 Nov 5]. Available from: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotional-problems/Pages/Anxiety-Disorders.aspx
- Williams JMG, Watts FN, MacLeod C, Mathews A. Cognitive Psychology and Emotional Disorders [Internet]. Oxford: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.; 1988 [cited 2018 May 11]. Available from: http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1991-98258-000
- Ryan RM, Deci EL. The Darker and Brighter Sides of Human Existence: Basic Psychological Needs as a Unifying Concept. Psychol Inq [Internet]. 2000 [cited 2020 Oct 8];11(4):319–38. Available from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1449630.pdf?casa_token=wq8M1LZ9g7IAAAAA:HHBUCL1u5Dk3bT_oa0NpQze4ts8P4P01orJGtBMlSQFKuRCT7c4v7WDrfQM6P0Q4fojKrbVas-7L0nxg33kV7a4-xXaAirdQhuWzkjjqUU7LGoXmEnw
- Budin-Ljøsne I, Teare HJA, Kaye J, Beck S, Beate Bentzen H, Caenazzo L, et al. Dynamic Consent: a potential solution to some of the challenges of modern biomedical research. BMC Med Ethics [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2018 Apr 18];18(4). Available from: https://bmcmedethics.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12910-016-0162-9?site=bmcmedethics.biomedcentral.com
- Holm S, Ploug T. Big Data and Health Research – The Governance Challenges in a Mixed Data Economy. Bioethical Inq [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2018 Apr 18];14:515–25. Available from: https://0-link-springer-com.wam.city.ac.uk/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs11673-017-9810-0.pdf
About the Author
Stephen Cantarutti
Stephen Cantarutti is a Staff Writer at The Decision Lab. He is interested in behavioural economics, and has developed expertise in trust-related decision-making. Before contributing to The Decision Lab, Stephen worked as a Behavioural Science Researcher at Ipsos MORI, applying theoretical behavioural research to develop insights into customer behaviour. Stephen is an avid literature enthusiast, spending much of his free time reading and writing fiction. Stephen has a Bachelor's of Business Administration degree from the Schulich School of Business at York University, a Master’s of Science Degree in Behavioural Economics at City, University of London, and is pursuing a PhD in Behavioural Psychology at City, University of London.
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