What is Morality In-app development? -Over the past decade or so, different app developers have used neurotechnology to model apps in an addictive format that replicates the addictiveness of gambling to compete with other applications for your attention. Its become a recent development because unlike previous technology addictions where parents would be worried about how long their child was watching tv, there are teams of engineers and ethicists determining how to best grab app users attention and keep it. So, the ethical question arises: Is it unethical for companies to be purposely addicting people without their knowledge? If not, how do we address the situation?
Who is involved in this issue? Candy crush has been the most notorious for using this method, getting themselves an entire article written about it by Health Guidance. But more applications have begun to adopt the format including Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, youtube, google, etc. on the opposing side, Tristan Harris is a former ethicist for google who quit in order to bring attention to the opposing argument on how to bring ethics back to technology and give control back to its' users. His website includes a lot of helpful information and resources on the subject.
Why is this damaging to users? Tristan Harris, a former Google design ethicist and product philosopher, describes it this way. “When we pull our phone out of our pocket, we're playing a slot machine to see what notifications we got. When we pull to refresh our email, we're playing a slot machine to see what new email we got. When we swipe down our finger to scroll the Instagram feed, we're playing a slot machine to see what photo comes next. When we swipe faces left/right on dating apps like Tinder, we're playing a slot machine to see if we got a match. When we tap the # of red notifications, we're playing a slot machine to what's underneath.” And according to Natasha Dow Schull, a professor from NYU, people become problematically addicted to slot machines three to four times faster than any other type of gambling. Apps have learned to use the following methods to hold our attention as long as possible. (according to Dopamine Labs in Venice, California)
apple, applications, apps
Habit-forming rewards
This method involves the three steps: trigger, action, and reward. A notification is your trigger, opening the app is an action, and the reward is the like, share, or comment on a message you posted. These rewards trigger a dopamine release in the brain, controlling the users by giving them that little burst of dopamine, “you can get them to go from using the app a couple of times a week to dozens of times a week.” But because we don’t always get a like or share every time we open our phones; app developers use artificial intelligence to predict the best time to send the notifications based on when you check your phone. So different apps will withhold notifications and deliver them slowly over time instead of all at once in order to keep you coming back to the app over time, stealing more of your attention.
Snapchat uses features such as their snap score or Snapchat streak to keep its users coming back to the app even if there’s no one having a conversation with you because it creates a virtual reward of your work coming back to the app. Using it to keep users fixated on an app every day even when it’s not useful, or you don’t enjoy it anymore.
Health factors A recent study from CAH shows Ontario teens’ shows that 16 percent spend five hours or more on social media per day. Many reported side effects such as being less active, withdrawal when away from their phones, fear of missing out, anxiety, stress, and agitation.
Is it morally wrong to create applications and websites that are programmed to be addictive to your brain? Its how internet companies make their money and need to grow and be successful but are it immoral if you know you're potentially damaging lives in the process. We may not know enough about how addictive these apps are designed to be. Especially unethical in the apps that require you to keep spending money such as gambling apps, and most game apps that need in-app purchases, but also unethical in the sense that this technology is being used to control how you spend your time and the thoughts you choose to have, altering opinions and majority of people don't even know about it.
What is Morality In-app development?
-Over the past decade or so, different app developers have used neurotechnology to model apps in an addictive format that replicates the addictiveness of gambling to compete with other applications for your attention. Its become a recent development because unlike previous technology addictions where parents would be worried about how long their child was watching tv, there are teams of engineers and ethicists determining how to best grab app users attention and keep it. So, the ethical question arises: Is it unethical for companies to be purposely addicting people without their knowledge? If not, how do we address the situation?
Who is involved in this issue?
Candy crush has been the most notorious for using this method, getting themselves an entire article written about it by Health Guidance. But more applications have begun to adopt the format including Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, youtube, google, etc. on the opposing side, Tristan Harris is a former ethicist for google who quit in order to bring attention to the opposing argument on how to bring ethics back to technology and give control back to its' users. His website includes a lot of helpful information and resources on the subject.
Why is this damaging to users?
Tristan Harris, a former Google design ethicist and product philosopher, describes it this way. “When we pull our phone out of our pocket, we're playing a slot machine to see what notifications we got. When we pull to refresh our email, we're playing a slot machine to see what new email we got. When we swipe down our finger to scroll the Instagram feed, we're playing a slot machine to see what photo comes next. When we swipe faces left/right on dating apps like Tinder, we're playing a slot machine to see if we got a match. When we tap the # of red notifications, we're playing a slot machine to what's underneath.” And according to Natasha Dow Schull, a professor from NYU, people become problematically addicted to slot machines three to four times faster than any other type of gambling. Apps have learned to use the following methods to hold our attention as long as possible. (according to Dopamine Labs in Venice, California)
Habit-forming rewards
- This method involves the three steps: trigger, action, and reward. A notification is your trigger, opening the app is an action, and the reward is the like, share, or comment on a message you posted. These rewards trigger a dopamine release in the brain, controlling the users by giving them that little burst of dopamine, “you can get them to go from using the app a couple of times a week to dozens of times a week.” But because we don’t always get a like or share every time we open our phones; app developers use artificial intelligence to predict the best time to send the notifications based on when you check your phone. So different apps will withhold notifications and deliver them slowly over time instead of all at once in order to keep you coming back to the app over time, stealing more of your attention.
- Snapchat uses features such as their snap score or Snapchat streak to keep its users coming back to the app even if there’s no one having a conversation with you because it creates a virtual reward of your work coming back to the app. Using it to keep users fixated on an app every day even when it’s not useful, or you don’t enjoy it anymore.
Health factorsA recent study from CAH shows Ontario teens’ shows that 16 percent spend five hours or more on social media per day. Many reported side effects such as being less active, withdrawal when away from their phones, fear of missing out, anxiety, stress, and agitation.
Is it morally wrong to create applications and websites that are programmed to be addictive to your brain?
Its how internet companies make their money and need to grow and be successful but are it immoral if you know you're potentially damaging lives in the process. We may not know enough about how addictive these apps are designed to be. Especially unethical in the apps that require you to keep spending money such as gambling apps, and most game apps that need in-app purchases, but also unethical in the sense that this technology is being used to control how you spend your time and the thoughts you choose to have, altering opinions and majority of people don't even know about it.
Resources
'We're designing minds': App maker reveals secrets that keep us addicted to smartphones | CBC News. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2018, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/marketplace-phones-1.4384876
How Candy Crush Is Controlling Your Brain The Psychology Behind Addictive Computer Games. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2018, from http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/17179/1/How-Candy-Crush-Is-Controlling-Your-Brain--The-Psychology-Behind-Addictive-Computer-Games.html
Bambenek, C. (2016, May 25). Ex-Googler slams designers for making apps addictive like 'slot machines'. Retrieved March 01, 2018, from http://www.businessinsider.com/ex-googler-slams-designers-for-making-apps-addictive-like-slot-machines-2016-5
“Free Stock Photo of Apple, Applications, Apps.” Free Stock Photos, www.pexels.com/photo/apple-applications-apps-cell-phone-607812/.