Making Sense with Sam Harris

#71 — What Is Technology Doing to Us?

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Apr 14, 2017
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ANECDOTE

Stanford Persuasion Lab Origins

  • Tristan studied persuasive technology at Stanford and learned habit-forming techniques used by major apps.
  • His classmates included founders who later built Instagram and other social platforms that shaped daily behavior.
INSIGHT

Attention Economy Is An Arms Race

  • The attention economy creates an arms race to capture and retain attention across all apps.
  • Winning this race requires exploiting cognitive biases and designing for repeated, extended engagement.
INSIGHT

Variable Rewards Drive Compulsion

  • Tech products use variable rewards like slot machines to increase engagement and return visits.
  • Small UX delays and unpredictable feedback magnify compulsive checking and habit formation.
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