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Invisible threads of influence: how we are being pushed to make decisions online.
Psychologist Patrick Fagan warns that many Internet resources use hidden methods of influencing users, which he designated with the acronym FORCES. Methods are designed to subtly push people to take certain actions and decisions.
Fagan explains that nudging is a way to change people's thoughts and decisions in a predictable way, without directly appealing to their economic or practical interests. Unlike propaganda, nudging works subtly, not blocking alternatives, but directing the person to the desired outcome.
How we are encouraged to take action
In the article "Clicks and Tricks: The Dark Art of Online Persuasion", Fagan explores various methods of digital nudging and suggests the acronym FORCES to describe them: Frame (Decoration), Obstruct (Obstacle), Ruse (Deception), Compel (Compulsion), Entangle (Entanglement) and Seduce (Seduction). Let's take a closer look at each of these methods.
Fight against manipulation
The article "Clicks and Tricks" shows that negative emotions are one of the main factors leading to the viral distribution of messages. A study of 51 million tweets about current events found that negativity, causal arguments, and threats to personal or societal values contribute to the dissemination of information.
Nudging isn't just limited to selling products or services. In "Free Your Mind," Fagan and co-author Laura Dodsworth describe how government agencies use such methods to promote ideas and policies to the public. For example, in the UK, a "Nudge Unit" was created in 2010 to influence public opinion and encourage people to comply with government directives.
The acronym FORCES helps us recognize the moments when we are being manipulated, and this is already half the success in the fight against unwanted influence.
Source
Psychologist Patrick Fagan warns that many Internet resources use hidden methods of influencing users, which he designated with the acronym FORCES. Methods are designed to subtly push people to take certain actions and decisions.
Fagan explains that nudging is a way to change people's thoughts and decisions in a predictable way, without directly appealing to their economic or practical interests. Unlike propaganda, nudging works subtly, not blocking alternatives, but directing the person to the desired outcome.
How we are encouraged to take action
In the article "Clicks and Tricks: The Dark Art of Online Persuasion", Fagan explores various methods of digital nudging and suggests the acronym FORCES to describe them: Frame (Decoration), Obstruct (Obstacle), Ruse (Deception), Compel (Compulsion), Entangle (Entanglement) and Seduce (Seduction). Let's take a closer look at each of these methods.
- Design involves presenting information in such a way that it influences the user's choice. For example, fake reviews and recommendations, claims about a product's scarcity or high demand create an artificial sense of urgency. This approach also includes visually highlighting one option among others, which leads to the choice of that particular one.
- An obstacle means creating difficulties for performing the user's intended actions. Examples include difficulties canceling or logging out of your account, time delays, hiding pricing information and automatic renewals, and additional steps to find the right pages and policies.
- Deception refers to misleading the user into making a choice that they didn't plan on making. This can be disguising ads as normal content, delaying the appearance of ads for accidental clicks, or "download here" buttons that redirect to another page. Deception also includes techniques such as "bait and switch", where the user starts one action and ends with another, and distracting elements that prevent them from noticing important details.
- Forcing involves forcing the user to do something they didn't want to do. For example, automatic recurring withdrawals from the card or preset options in online forms. Gamers face "grinding" — repeating the same actions to get rewards, and apps often remind you to buy premium versions through annoying pop-ups.
- Obfuscation is designed to keep the user on the site or app longer than they intended. This is achieved through endless automatic video playback, endless scrolling of content, and constant notifications.
- Seduction concerns the emotional impact on the user. Research shows that messages that trigger an emotional response are more likely to go viral. For example, news items with headlines containing surprises and exclamation marks are more often shared by users.
Fight against manipulation
The article "Clicks and Tricks" shows that negative emotions are one of the main factors leading to the viral distribution of messages. A study of 51 million tweets about current events found that negativity, causal arguments, and threats to personal or societal values contribute to the dissemination of information.
Nudging isn't just limited to selling products or services. In "Free Your Mind," Fagan and co-author Laura Dodsworth describe how government agencies use such methods to promote ideas and policies to the public. For example, in the UK, a "Nudge Unit" was created in 2010 to influence public opinion and encourage people to comply with government directives.
The acronym FORCES helps us recognize the moments when we are being manipulated, and this is already half the success in the fight against unwanted influence.
Source
