tl;dw it’s a good idea to turn off auto play on RUclips, limit notifications to what you really care about, and even bundle apps that are not essential tools (like maps or messages) and move them to the second page of your phone screen. I installed an app called Moment and it was surprising - I knew I spent a good amount of time on my phone, but some days I was spending 4 hours on apps that aren’t really necessary. That’s a LOT of my attention. So, if good design nudges your behaviour every single day - in the case of technology, should companies tell you what those design tricks are? Should design be more ethical? Or is it your responsibility to navigate?
@@braincraft {I'm using Android..However} To answer your question: I feel it *SHOULD* be both. Ethical design & Your responsibility to "navigate" responsible use {as an adult}. For use by Primary school OR Teenage kids however is *A WHOLE OTHER COMPLEX ISSUE* . 📱= 💊🧠
Attention Wars is a great way of phrasing it. This is an important discussion to have in society. What do you think is our role as content creators in this war of attention? We fight for clicks and watch time and retention rates as well after all.
I thought about this a LOT while I’ve been making this series. A big part of this all is the business/ad model that funds content creators. Can we change that model? Personally, or at a larger scale? Can we be more responsible with click bait titles and topics? Can we encourage our viewers to be intentional with what they watch?
@@braincraft Yeah, I'm with you there. We have to ask ourselves these tough questions and admit to our roles in this war, in this system. I struggle with this as well as a starting science youtuber. I think we can definitely be more responsible with clickbaity titles but the truth is also that they work to a certain extent and youtube will funnel viewers in that direction. On a personal note, I hate for my phone to steal my attention with notifications and almost aggressively invade my attention space. I'm pro silent phone 24/7 :)
I think you, the creators, should simply do the best you can and the clicks/watches will come naturally. Click baits can easily backfire. There is a youtube channel I was subscribed for a while but I unsubbed because the guy kept putting a pretty girl on every thumbnail who had little to do with the video itself, and that got annoying pretty fast. (That's not to say that Nessy can't put herself on a thumbnail or two, that's okay, she is the host.) And I think that encouraging viewers to be intentional is also a good thing. To give another example, there's this other channel, the host received a fake item but he does not endorse chinese copies so he said that in the video and also he ended the video by saying "there's a link to the product in the description but that doesn't mean you should click it." I appreciated his honesty. We, the viewers, understand how you are monetized so there's no need to sugarcoat it. Like this video, the content is in conflict with the monetization model but that is okay, like real life, the internet is not black or white. I hope I'm making sense to you.
it depends on what your motivation is.... to teach, to help or to make money. if making money/being paid for what you're doing is on your agenda, but you want to be "ethical", then, in addition to no click bait or mid video ads, you refrain from hawking ANY products other than your own (except for the occasional guest) during your video. if making money is NOT important to you, avoid ads altogether, if possible, and make your content truly free.
@@macronencer Deactivating is not the same as deleting. It will likely linger there, waiting for your weak will to break & before you know it you'll be addicted to it again. Lol
@@futureDK1 Yes I'm aware of that, and in fact I do want to delete the account, but what worries me is that if I have to re-activate it just to delete it, then everyone will think I've RETURNED and start sending me messages :-|
This makes me think about what some of the more addicting video games do to keep you playing. I spent too long playing certain online games growing up. Rewards can give you dopamine release and want you coming back for more. It feels like a need, definitely an addiction in my case. I'd be interested in a video on video game addiction in the future
Thanks for watching Jesse! This year gaming addiction was actually officially recognised by the World Health Organisation, and as a result the National Health Service in the UK is opening up treatment centres. We wanted to include that in here but it ran out of time - I will add to my list of topics for episodes next year :)
So, Extra Credits is a You Tube channel run by video game designers and they did a great video on game addiction and designing ethical games. Basically they found skinner box games (actually well described here in this Brain Craft video) are the ones that are addictive in the true sense of needing medical help, which means video game addiction is the same as gambling addiction. Video games can be relaxing, and sometimes stressed people only use one method of unwinding, therefore video games can also be overused in stress management. Anything can be overused and start causing problems like that. Knowing what games are using gambling or quasi-gambling tricks to hook you will help you choose an enjoyable game. Cultivating 5 or 8 genuine stress-relieving activities will protect you from the harmful effects of overusing one technique. Source: Extra Cresits and dialectic behavioral psychology.
I really like this series and the format. I'm sure they take more time, effort and resources to make, but I think you should do more series like this. Also I stopped using Facebook news feed or personal updates a while ago, but getting rid of it completely would mean disconnecting from certain friends and colleagues completely, so I won't delete. RUclips recommendations suck me in at times, so my goal is to only watch things intentionally and less browsing. It's a work in progress
My online behaviour is also a work in progress! I keep getting sucked into RUclips and Instagram as well. And not for the educational content - it's not the best use of my time. Thanks for watching and for your nice comments!
I'm so glad you're doing some videos on this. Its a really important thing to be telling people. Its important that people know how these things work rather than just being blindly led. I look forward to the next one!
I really appreciate videos like this that encourage mindfulness with technology. I work with social media promotion so I’m unfortunately a bit trapped by notifications, however, I have my phone set to ‘do not disturb’ from 9pm to 8am. This allows me to self direct my consumption without notifications ‘pushing’ me to other platforms. Also, Bluetooth headphones allow me to multitask while watching videos. This means I can consume videos, podcasts and audiobooks while still packing the dishwasher and cooking. This leads to a greater sense of accomplishment while still being educated or entertained. Thank you for this new channel. I will be subscribing and adding notifications, not so I can be ‘persuaded’, but mindful of when I can choose to be informed by your content.
Thank you Kristel! I think we share some of the same complications in working in this field but trying to detach at the same time. The 'do not disturb' is a great strategy.
Wow. Totally watching the next 4 parts, Nessy. What you said at the end about staring at our screens - that's me. If none of my friends are on discord, I will sit around for quite a while in the hope that a friend will come on to interact with. Can see the patterns you're talking about if I analyse my habits when I get home: - Drape jacket over kitchen chair, - Walk into computer room, Take shoes and socks off, Sit at computer, - Open Chrome, type "fa" in address bar to bring up Facebook, go through new Facebook notifications, go through Facebook wall, go into RUclips, check RUclips subscriptions for new videos of interest, watch new videos of interest/no new videos of interest then maybe something in Facebook will occupy my attention- bugger I was in Facebook 2 minutes ago when nothing was there.... -maybe I can check if I have any cool emails there... well I received one response to something I was waiting on and deleted some spam... now what?... maybe there's something good to watch on RUclips... check subscriptions for new vide- I was here less than 2 minutes ago! Ok, Facebook... I've done this... why am I checking Facebook again so soon?? :( :( :(
Thanks Steve - I have really similar behaviour pattens - let's call them habits - and it's REALLY hard to break them. Re Facebook - I have deleted the mobile app everywhere and installed a plug-in called "News Feed Eradicator" so it just displays a quote instead of my feed. It's amazing how many times I click through and then realise I didn't really intend to. I _should_ just delete it, but it's tough as a have the BrainCraft Facebook page and it's the only way I keep in touch with some of my family overseas.
I really like these mini series, which are going deeper into subjects, like this and Bad Behaviour: A Field Guide. I hope you get to make more of them in the future
Thank you so much!! I really like it too, having had a RUclips channel for many years it's nice to focus on a topic area or try a format that feels different to me. I hope I get to make more in the future too!
I think the best way to deal with persuasive design is to be mindful and shop/choose which technologies we want to allow into our personal lives. Similar to the GPS analogy, its best to pick the things that are taking you where you want to go. Instagram for example is an excellent place to find great artists, and youtube is a great place to find some amazing informative channels (like BrainCraft). I think as long as we remain cognizant of the persuasive designs it all works out well. Also not all persuasive design is bad. While sites like RUclips and Google want to maximise your time on them, they also want to deliver the value you are seeking. If used came to RUclips to look for this series and they couldn't find it, they'd get mad and leave. On the same note after watching episode the site will recommend similar content (which from my end looks like TED talks and other educational channels) which, if you are being mindful, you can choose to watch or just hop off. The way I see this whole design aspect is as a necessary evil. I do hope the field of HCI looks further into design to help for a positive experience for more people rather than the current, often harmful, attention grabbing style.
Is it bad that I'm watching this at 3 AM in the morning because I feel like my mind requires constant stimulus of entertainment because otherwise I feel dead?
It’s not bad, but sleep is super super important so please make sure you get some sleep! A lot of people watch ASMR videos to fall asleep, which is better than not sleeping or getting caught up in your thoughts. Take care.
Personal responsibility certainly but the game isn't balanced, advertisers study for years on how to manipulate us, and we teach none of it to our children, I sure didn't learn anything about it in highschool or before, which leaves us vulnerable to being manipulated.
Personal Responsibility is absolute, using your logic for unfairness anything that elicits a dopamine response including chocolate, cigarettes, coffee should be regulated what a dull world that would be where we infantilise people. Even Jaron Lanier is an addict in another sense as he is quite obese maybe we should regulate pizza and snickers using his logic. This whole situation is ridiculous.
@@Sebanoe I'm sorry I have to mention that intent is crucial. ciggarates, chocolate and coffee is regulated by the FDA. my argument is that if a case can be made for the intention behind something was to manipulate them without them knowing, suggest the people behind it dont have your best interests at heart. and while those people are around and prod at the average person daily, we should make an effort to protect ourselves and eachother from such ill intent. I'm sure there are things in middle and highschool that can be cut out in favour for defense against the dark arts. who needs the ability to analyze a 1900s poem anyway.
Ebon Hawk Intent is definitely important do you think coke or McDonalds don't know that they're foods are incredibly unhealthy regardless of regulation these companies advertise and sponsor to manipulate people into purchasing their products, heart disease is actually of the primary causes of death for humans but nobody regulates advertising that is indirectly causing people to kill themselves but you want to do it for free websites that you use of your own volition it's ridiculous, personal responsibility is absolute. Ill intent is everywhere, every companies wants to maximise profits by being angry at tech companies society is being selectively angry.
@@Sebanoe no you misunderstand. I didn't say I wanted that kind of regulation on websites. and nowhere did I specify that websites are a bigger problem on this than elsewhere. advertisers all learn their tricks from the same book, regardless of where they are used, websites, tv, billboards or elsewhere. if you would have read my message, what I want isn't regulation on it, people should be allowed to eat unhealthy food and smoke crack. what I want, if for schools to teach kids how to notice when someone is manipulating you, like I said the game isn't balanced, because one side doesn't know it is being played, and that is the problem. you're arguing against a strawman my friend.
A ding is to...... turn off, there's no way I ever leave that on social media. Only for important things. I don't think I need to delete my social media accounts because I have more control than many people I see around me, but I can do better and use it less still :) enjoyed watching this video.
Long comment ahead. TL;DR I've got an addiction issue on my hands. This series is so timely. I was just talking to a friend of mine last night about this. I kicked the FB habit a while ago, after I become incredibly concerned about their less-than-ethical privacy policies. Twitter has become a cesspool that I can't tolerate, and I just never got into Instagram. However, I'm completely addicted to RUclips. There was a comment, on Wheezy Waiter's video about giving up the internet for a month, that was a big a-ha moment for me. The person said they got off social media when they realized it was killing their creativity. I had been trying to figure out why my creative drive is just about gone, and yup, it started to tank when I seriously dived into RUclips. This is what I do for entertainment, for hours upon hours per day. I passively consume videos instead of actively pursuing things I enjoy. After talking to my friend, I realized this is damaging my self-esteem and pleasure in life. If I want to increase my self-esteem, I need to do esteemable things, and watching RUclips videos all the time is not esteemable. I have zero sense of accomplishment and pride in doing this. Here's the thing though: The thought of limiting my time here feels painful. That's how I know I'm addicted right now. I mean, when RUclips went down a couple of weeks ago, I felt, well, lost. I have a large number of possibilities for things I can do for entertainment, and none of them sounded good. Not drawing, not painting, not reading, not even Netflix. That's not right. What's worse is that even knowing all of this, I don't really want to stop. I don't even have auto-play on, but dang, that Recommended algorithm knows exactly what I'm interested in. There's about 5 videos right now in the sidebar that I want to watch. I know that I'm going to have to force myself to get off of here. I also know it's going to feel hard, while I get those neural pathways recalibrated. And I pretty much hate that I'm going to have to work at it. Passive consumption is just so easy. The designers absolutely knew what they were doing here.
I click the bell icons, but i have set RUclips to notify me once a day in single digest.. so notifications come but at the same time every day about everything in a single digest, so that i can watch some videos while travelling back to home from work. Anyways i have removed all social media from my life. Only way people can contact me is mails, calls or texts.. it is just a bliss.
Am I the only one that left social media years ago when I saw that it was negatively affecting my life? I now only use RUclips on my computer instead of watching TV or Netflix as it seems to be the most benign of the attention grabbers. I have no notifications on my laptop or PC. I also got rid of my smart phone. I have found that online classes are useful ways to have fun instead of playing games and yet I still feel like I have not done enough.
You're not alone. I stopped using Facebook in 2013, because it encouraged way too much hostility, and now people seem to say it's even worse. I never joined Twitter or Instagram. I primarily click on videos on the Subscriptions page on RUclips; the Trending page is usually garbage and the Home page is 98% not what I want to watch. For Slack, at work, I use the web version and have desktop notifications off. People were annoyed at first, but eventually realized themselves how awful having notifications on is.
I didn't use traditional social media hardly at all. My girlfriend made me myspace account in highschool, didnt use it. Other girlfriend made me a facebook account in college, hardly used it. But I used discord/steam and video games to "hang out" with my friends who live far away. Video games were definitely an addiction, and it was a replacement for social media, so I can't say I didn't do social media. It was just different and my group only consisted of like 5 real life friends and 4-5 online friends that I played with regularly.
@@braincraft Thank you for the encouragement. ^^ It was quite surprising to see a content creator reply on a comment, the attention you show to your subscribers is appreciated.
Your smart is absolutely the most stunning thing going on web wide ...and that's a long list of goings on! Thank you. Please never stop making these videos. You are one of the brightest stars among a constellation of lovely and brilliant souls, again, thank you.
Thanks Dale! There are another 4 episodes coming out as part of this series, so every Friday for the next 4 weeks. After that, who knows?! But anything you would like to see covered please suggest below!
I don't blame the Attention Grabbers trying to snag us and draw us in - after all, they need to do this to "grow" (money, views, followers, etc). However, at thd end of the day, it is our choice whether to let them draw us in. Example, I only use Facebook as a way for me to log into games; I don't use it for the social media aspect. If a bell rings to let us know there's a notification, we have the choice to check it or not. Unless one is waiting for some important communication, I would say that most notifications can wait.
Another great video. I still don't understand how people can't put down facebook, twitter etc. I check twitter once or twice a week. Facebook once a day, to contact parts of my family who live far away. Snapchat was deleted within minutes of installing. I found it too annoying to use. My phone is usually on silent. It's a tool for me to use when I want to, not when other people want me. Maybe I'm different in that I want to spend my time doing what I want rather than waiting to see what others are doing. When scrolling through facebook to catch up on family posts, most of it is inane rubbish. I don't care what or where you ate earlier or seeing the same meme for the seventh time today. I want to know that family and friends are okay. I need an app that displays people's status as a red, amber or green icon. Green is doing well, amber is not bad, I might benefit from a chat. Red is person isn't doing well. Then I can see at a glance that people are fine, and the odd occasion the icons change colour I can get in touch. If any of the people I know are drama fiends, I can mark them as such and the app automatically upgrades their icon colour by one. This would give me an at a glance view of the people I care about and a clear indication on who needs my attention without the clutter of memes, posts to save invented people by clicking like or the propagation of bad facts or advice.
I only have/keep facebook because before I had it nobody told me about any events or get-togethers (I think not having social media was one of the main reasons I hardly had any friends through school), and now facebook is the only way I'll ever have contact with my friends. They certainly won't reach out to contact me if i delete it. I'm really bad at asking people for phone numbers as well.
Always a good question - my aim here is for all of us to be more mindful with how we use technology, and to talk about the impact it’s having on our behaviour and lives. I love technology! But found it was impacting my life in strange ways and wondered what it was doing to the human experience, too. You can definitely enjoy new music and find new taco places without being distracted by constant notifications or spending hours on Instagram everyday. Just be more intentional with you time 🙃🌮
I'm surprised it didn't work on me. Not on facebook, kind of have never been (had it, barely visited, eventually deleted). It makes me wonder how people can even be functional while having such things, I'm barely functional and I don't even have e-mail alerts.
I turned off notifications for social media and emails a while ago and it helps. However when I do get around to looking (too often!) I still end up falling down the thumb scroll rabbit hole :(
More connected than ever yet its harder by the day to not be lonely. Ive chosen to embrace loneliness and focus on improving myself. Still though it feels like a peice is missing from modern digital life.
It's surprising to me that it hasn't been mentioned the new tools that Apple and Google provide on the new versions of iOS and Android. You don't need to install any app to know how much time you spend on the phone and in apps, and how many pickups you do during the day, it all comes with the system now! And the best part is that you can limit the system easily, go and limit the time on Facebook, it's super easy and it helps you control your behaviour. I'm really happy that companies like Apple are helping us fight this attention war.
Hey! I did mention that in the last episode - this is a six part series so trying no to repeat myself. As we were researching/writing this all of the new operating systems included digital well-being tools! I was very happy about it.
This is all very meta, using the methods outlined in persuasive technology to “persuade” us into coming back 4 more times to get the full story. More engagement, more videos to click that like button on and more advertising plugs than in 1 long video
Notifications annoy me. It's an almost OCD response in that anything with a red notification needs to be removed. I always turn off push notifications on apps that allow me to. It's the least helpful feature on smart phones for me.
I did like this video because it shows mechanism behind modern adverts .. same time I didn't like because of constantly visible logos (even not really critical to topic) of Mac book pro or just shape of Iphone. So ... ethical design or lack of responsibility?
This video was pretty interesting, but left me with a couple of questions in regards to Jaron Lanier's statements about Facebook and suicide. When Jaron Lanier says "it increases suicide," 1) to what research is he referring? 2) does he mean "increases suicide" or "increases the risk of suicide?" From my understanding, those two statements are very different, with the former implying that there is research that has demonstrated clear cause and effect and the latter meaning there is a correlation.
Hey Abby - I'm pretty sure he meant "increases risk of suicide" as scientifically it would be near possible to draw a direct conclusion from such research, there are always other factors. I'm not sure of the research he was talking about specifically, though this article is a good starting point: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3477910/
See the September 2017 issue of National Geographic. Months of a cocaine addiction clinic therapy did nothing. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation worked according to the article. The article argues addiction is not a matter of morality but a treatable medical condition. A brain must be balanced for personal responsibility (the illusion of free will) to work. Without parts of the brain like the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex putting messages from the striatum into perspective with its rationalizations, a persons actions are more likely to come from more primitive areas of the brain such as the striatum. Medical therapies such as transcranial magnetic stimulation can start to grow back areas of the brain which may have been reduced from the stress of modern society or military combat.
This may be a funny question to ask but what's that app you mentioned that tracks how often you check your phone? I'm of the opinion that I do so much less often than most but I'd like to see it in proper numbers rather than just my feeling
The one I used is called Moment! It's only for iOS, some Android suggestions are in my pinned comment up the top. It's a little terrifying when you see the REAL stats of how many times you check your phone.
@@braincraft Thanks I'll check some of those android ones for a week and see if I'm right. Though the fact that I sit at a computer most of the day probably counters my lack of use of my phone (though youtube's my only social media)
Sometimes you don't really have to delete your accounts, all you need to do is to forget the password. If you were as lucky as me and didn't set up proper password recovery options, your problems slowly drift away.
An honest question, how do you bring up this sort of thing with a family member? I have two members in my extended family that almost constantly need some sort of stimulus, whether from their phone, laptop, or Kindle. It makes them incredibly boring to be around, but I'm not quite sure how to bring it up.
That is a tough one - try framing it in terms of how you're feeling, rather than saying they "shouldn't" be doing something or in a way that may make them feel judged or attacked. So something like... "sometimes I feel sad or frustrated [or insert emotion] when you're using your device at the table [or in whatever setting], would you consider having no devices at dinner tonight?" Hope that helps!
and yes, pavlovs dogs and conditioning. but if you know whats going on, it doesnt work, or at least that well. but most people are easy to lead on and social media is being used against them. maybe not quitting it, but being aware is key
09:17 I don't agree with this. Because i personally think something exist right before our eyes is coencive. Let's just imagine that slice of a cake is on the table near us. Would you say whether eat or not to eat is my choice?
Weird thing, but I have discovered that wearing a smart watch helps with this. When I get a notification I can check it on my watch, and it doesn't pull me into a scroll. I don't have to pick up my phone.
The only thing I use notifications for is when someone replies int the same comment thread as me. As for watching youtube videos, I just go through my subscriptions page and watch what I want.
Personal Responsibility is absolute, using your logic for unfairness anything that elicits a dopamine response including chocolate, cigarettes, coffee should be regulated what kind of world that be where wenfantilise people. Even Jaron Lanier is an addict in another sense as he is quite obese maybe we should regulate pizza and snickers using his logic. This whole situation is ridiculous.
I firmly believe that autonomous cars are less about safety and more about keeping our eyes on screens. If the agencies pushing this ungodly expensive and temperamental technology on to consumers really cared about our safety, tobacco would be illegal.
tl;dw it’s a good idea to turn off auto play on RUclips, limit notifications to what you really care about, and even bundle apps that are not essential tools (like maps or messages) and move them to the second page of your phone screen. I installed an app called Moment and it was surprising - I knew I spent a good amount of time on my phone, but some days I was spending 4 hours on apps that aren’t really necessary. That’s a LOT of my attention.
So, if good design nudges your behaviour every single day - in the case of technology, should companies tell you what those design tricks are? Should design be more ethical? Or is it your responsibility to navigate?
I suppose Moment is only available on iOS? Are there any good alternatives for Android?
Ohhh I'm not sure about that - in the last Android Pie release they actually have built in digital wellbeing features you can use.
I used UBHind for my Android phone, but that was years ago and I'm not sure if better alternatives have been made since.
If anyone is using anything for Android (or other options for iOS) please leave the names here!
@@braincraft {I'm using Android..However} To answer your question: I feel it *SHOULD* be both. Ethical design & Your responsibility to "navigate" responsible use {as an adult}. For use by Primary school OR Teenage kids however is *A WHOLE OTHER COMPLEX ISSUE* . 📱= 💊🧠
Pavlov is at a bar, drinking a beer and he hears someone's phone go off. He suddenly gets up and says "Oh, crap, I forgot to feed the dog!"
😂
Attention Wars is a great way of phrasing it. This is an important discussion to have in society. What do you think is our role as content creators in this war of attention? We fight for clicks and watch time and retention rates as well after all.
I thought about this a LOT while I’ve been making this series. A big part of this all is the business/ad model that funds content creators. Can we change that model? Personally, or at a larger scale? Can we be more responsible with click bait titles and topics? Can we encourage our viewers to be intentional with what they watch?
@@braincraft Yeah, I'm with you there. We have to ask ourselves these tough questions and admit to our roles in this war, in this system. I struggle with this as well as a starting science youtuber. I think we can definitely be more responsible with clickbaity titles but the truth is also that they work to a certain extent and youtube will funnel viewers in that direction.
On a personal note, I hate for my phone to steal my attention with notifications and almost aggressively invade my attention space. I'm pro silent phone 24/7 :)
I think you, the creators, should simply do the best you can and the clicks/watches will come naturally. Click baits can easily backfire. There is a youtube channel I was subscribed for a while but I unsubbed because the guy kept putting a pretty girl on every thumbnail who had little to do with the video itself, and that got annoying pretty fast. (That's not to say that Nessy can't put herself on a thumbnail or two, that's okay, she is the host.) And I think that encouraging viewers to be intentional is also a good thing. To give another example, there's this other channel, the host received a fake item but he does not endorse chinese copies so he said that in the video and also he ended the video by saying "there's a link to the product in the description but that doesn't mean you should click it." I appreciated his honesty. We, the viewers, understand how you are monetized so there's no need to sugarcoat it. Like this video, the content is in conflict with the monetization model but that is okay, like real life, the internet is not black or white. I hope I'm making sense to you.
it depends on what your motivation is....
to teach, to help or to make money.
if making money/being paid for what you're doing is on your agenda, but you want to be "ethical", then, in addition to no click bait or mid video ads, you refrain from hawking ANY products other than your own (except for the occasional guest) during your video.
if making money is NOT important to you, avoid ads altogether, if possible, and make your content truly free.
@@peacewillow thanks willow. I'm with you here. Depending on your goals you can make decisions about ads and product hawking.
I actually recently deleted my Snapchat & Facebook. It honestly feels awesome & liberating!
🙌
I know! I deactivated my FB account at the end of August, and honestly I should have just deleted it. I haven't gone back even once.
Me too!!!
@@macronencer Deactivating is not the same as deleting. It will likely linger there, waiting for your weak will to break & before you know it you'll be addicted to it again. Lol
@@futureDK1 Yes I'm aware of that, and in fact I do want to delete the account, but what worries me is that if I have to re-activate it just to delete it, then everyone will think I've RETURNED and start sending me messages :-|
This is the last video I'm watching today.
...are you sure?
@@braincraft well... I waited twelve hours.
EVER!!!
🤣🤣🤣
This makes me think about what some of the more addicting video games do to keep you playing. I spent too long playing certain online games growing up. Rewards can give you dopamine release and want you coming back for more. It feels like a need, definitely an addiction in my case. I'd be interested in a video on video game addiction in the future
Thanks for watching Jesse! This year gaming addiction was actually officially recognised by the World Health Organisation, and as a result the National Health Service in the UK is opening up treatment centres. We wanted to include that in here but it ran out of time - I will add to my list of topics for episodes next year :)
So, Extra Credits is a You Tube channel run by video game designers and they did a great video on game addiction and designing ethical games. Basically they found skinner box games (actually well described here in this Brain Craft video) are the ones that are addictive in the true sense of needing medical help, which means video game addiction is the same as gambling addiction. Video games can be relaxing, and sometimes stressed people only use one method of unwinding, therefore video games can also be overused in stress management. Anything can be overused and start causing problems like that. Knowing what games are using gambling or quasi-gambling tricks to hook you will help you choose an enjoyable game. Cultivating 5 or 8 genuine stress-relieving activities will protect you from the harmful effects of overusing one technique. Source: Extra Cresits and dialectic behavioral psychology.
@@braincraft Thanks for replying! I'm lookin forward to it.
@@margothutton Awesome! I'll have to check that out when I get home. Thanks for the recommendation
I really like this series and the format. I'm sure they take more time, effort and resources to make, but I think you should do more series like this. Also I stopped using Facebook news feed or personal updates a while ago, but getting rid of it completely would mean disconnecting from certain friends and colleagues completely, so I won't delete. RUclips recommendations suck me in at times, so my goal is to only watch things intentionally and less browsing. It's a work in progress
My online behaviour is also a work in progress! I keep getting sucked into RUclips and Instagram as well. And not for the educational content - it's not the best use of my time. Thanks for watching and for your nice comments!
I'm so glad you're doing some videos on this. Its a really important thing to be telling people. Its important that people know how these things work rather than just being blindly led. I look forward to the next one!
Thanks so much Brett!
I really appreciate videos like this that encourage mindfulness with technology.
I work with social media promotion so I’m unfortunately a bit trapped by notifications, however, I have my phone set to ‘do not disturb’ from 9pm to 8am. This allows me to self direct my consumption without notifications ‘pushing’ me to other platforms.
Also, Bluetooth headphones allow me to multitask while watching videos. This means I can consume videos, podcasts and audiobooks while still packing the dishwasher and cooking. This leads to a greater sense of accomplishment while still being educated or entertained.
Thank you for this new channel. I will be subscribing and adding notifications, not so I can be ‘persuaded’, but mindful of when I can choose to be informed by your content.
Thank you Kristel! I think we share some of the same complications in working in this field but trying to detach at the same time. The 'do not disturb' is a great strategy.
Bluetooth changed how I function lol. now i look forward to the laundry and mowing because I save my favorite podcasts to listen to while doing them.
Wow. Totally watching the next 4 parts, Nessy.
What you said at the end about staring at our screens - that's me. If none of my friends are on discord, I will sit around for quite a while in the hope that a friend will come on to interact with.
Can see the patterns you're talking about if I analyse my habits when I get home:
- Drape jacket over kitchen chair,
- Walk into computer room, Take shoes and socks off, Sit at computer,
- Open Chrome, type "fa" in address bar to bring up Facebook, go through new Facebook notifications, go through Facebook wall, go into RUclips, check RUclips subscriptions for new videos of interest, watch new videos of interest/no new videos of interest then maybe something in Facebook will occupy my attention- bugger I was in Facebook 2 minutes ago when nothing was there....
-maybe I can check if I have any cool emails there... well I received one response to something I was waiting on and deleted some spam... now what?... maybe there's something good to watch on RUclips... check subscriptions for new vide- I was here less than 2 minutes ago! Ok, Facebook... I've done this... why am I checking Facebook again so soon?? :( :( :(
Thanks Steve - I have really similar behaviour pattens - let's call them habits - and it's REALLY hard to break them. Re Facebook - I have deleted the mobile app everywhere and installed a plug-in called "News Feed Eradicator" so it just displays a quote instead of my feed. It's amazing how many times I click through and then realise I didn't really intend to. I _should_ just delete it, but it's tough as a have the BrainCraft Facebook page and it's the only way I keep in touch with some of my family overseas.
@@braincraft I see no reason to ditch facebook though
I really like these mini series, which are going deeper into subjects, like this and Bad Behaviour: A Field Guide. I hope you get to make more of them in the future
Thank you so much!! I really like it too, having had a RUclips channel for many years it's nice to focus on a topic area or try a format that feels different to me. I hope I get to make more in the future too!
I think the best way to deal with persuasive design is to be mindful and shop/choose which technologies we want to allow into our personal lives. Similar to the GPS analogy, its best to pick the things that are taking you where you want to go. Instagram for example is an excellent place to find great artists, and youtube is a great place to find some amazing informative channels (like BrainCraft). I think as long as we remain cognizant of the persuasive designs it all works out well.
Also not all persuasive design is bad. While sites like RUclips and Google want to maximise your time on them, they also want to deliver the value you are seeking. If used came to RUclips to look for this series and they couldn't find it, they'd get mad and leave. On the same note after watching episode the site will recommend similar content (which from my end looks like TED talks and other educational channels) which, if you are being mindful, you can choose to watch or just hop off.
The way I see this whole design aspect is as a necessary evil. I do hope the field of HCI looks further into design to help for a positive experience for more people rather than the current, often harmful, attention grabbing style.
I'm happily giving you my attention xD, at least your content is way better than Facebook's
Ha thank you!
It’s education disguised as social media, which might be the only reliable way to get people to learn anything going forward.
just great information from credible sources, thank you so much for spreading it to the masses! quick sub.
Is it bad that I'm watching this at 3 AM in the morning because I feel like my mind requires constant stimulus of entertainment because otherwise I feel dead?
It’s not bad, but sleep is super super important so please make sure you get some sleep! A lot of people watch ASMR videos to fall asleep, which is better than not sleeping or getting caught up in your thoughts. Take care.
@@braincraft may your voice lead me to the world of dreams and anime.
@@braincraft thanks btw fam
its very good for you actually
@@calabiyau9269 oof ok
I am happy I've been notified about this video.
the only thing that really keeps me online is damn life itself, gimme anything to focus on but reality and i'll be aboard
I can relate to this.
Saaaaaame.
Brilliant! Just what I needed. I need my attention somewhere else.
Lol, thanks for watching 😉
Personal responsibility certainly
but the game isn't balanced, advertisers study for years on how to manipulate us, and we teach none of it to our children, I sure didn't learn anything about it in highschool or before, which leaves us vulnerable to being manipulated.
Personal Responsibility is absolute, using your logic for unfairness anything that elicits a dopamine response including chocolate, cigarettes, coffee should be regulated what a dull world that would be where we infantilise people. Even Jaron Lanier is an addict in another sense as he is quite obese maybe we should regulate pizza and snickers using his logic. This whole situation is ridiculous.
@@Sebanoe I'm sorry I have to mention that intent is crucial.
ciggarates, chocolate and coffee is regulated by the FDA.
my argument is that if a case can be made for the intention behind something was to manipulate them without them knowing, suggest the people behind it dont have your best interests at heart.
and while those people are around and prod at the average person daily, we should make an effort to protect ourselves and eachother from such ill intent.
I'm sure there are things in middle and highschool that can be cut out in favour for defense against the dark arts.
who needs the ability to analyze a 1900s poem anyway.
Ebon Hawk Intent is definitely important do you think coke or McDonalds don't know that they're foods are incredibly unhealthy regardless of regulation these companies advertise and sponsor to manipulate people into purchasing their products, heart disease is actually of the primary causes of death for humans but nobody regulates advertising that is indirectly causing people to kill themselves but you want to do it for free websites that you use of your own volition it's ridiculous, personal responsibility is absolute. Ill intent is everywhere, every companies wants to maximise profits by being angry at tech companies society is being selectively angry.
@@Sebanoe no you misunderstand.
I didn't say I wanted that kind of regulation on websites.
and nowhere did I specify that websites are a bigger problem on this than elsewhere.
advertisers all learn their tricks from the same book, regardless of where they are used, websites, tv, billboards or elsewhere.
if you would have read my message, what I want isn't regulation on it, people should be allowed to eat unhealthy food and smoke crack.
what I want, if for schools to teach kids how to notice when someone is manipulating you, like I said the game isn't balanced, because one side doesn't know it is being played, and that is the problem.
you're arguing against a strawman my friend.
Thank you so much for this series!
this is only scratching the surface of the digital age.
Keep up the great work
Thanks Rob!
5:42 RUclips notified me of a new video here and it took me a while to realize it wasn’t part of the video.
Notifications on notifications on notifications [etc.]
A ding is to...... turn off, there's no way I ever leave that on social media. Only for important things. I don't think I need to delete my social media accounts because I have more control than many people I see around me, but I can do better and use it less still :) enjoyed watching this video.
I'm loving this series
Thanks Thomas! 🧠
I love that your content is almost always based on real researchs .. thank you very much ❤
Thanks for watching Reema!
"Because if we're just left to our own devices..."
Hah, great pun.
Thank you, thank you 🙃
The door part finished me 😂. I am subscribering 😇
This was an excellent video. Well done Vanessa!
Thanks Nima 🙃
You've got my attention, tell me more!
Ha, well there's a new episode coming out this Friday 😉
RUclips rabbit hole is very real. Especially when I was younger.
Long comment ahead. TL;DR I've got an addiction issue on my hands.
This series is so timely. I was just talking to a friend of mine last night about this.
I kicked the FB habit a while ago, after I become incredibly concerned about their less-than-ethical privacy policies. Twitter has become a cesspool that I can't tolerate, and I just never got into Instagram.
However, I'm completely addicted to RUclips.
There was a comment, on Wheezy Waiter's video about giving up the internet for a month, that was a big a-ha moment for me. The person said they got off social media when they realized it was killing their creativity. I had been trying to figure out why my creative drive is just about gone, and yup, it started to tank when I seriously dived into RUclips. This is what I do for entertainment, for hours upon hours per day. I passively consume videos instead of actively pursuing things I enjoy.
After talking to my friend, I realized this is damaging my self-esteem and pleasure in life. If I want to increase my self-esteem, I need to do esteemable things, and watching RUclips videos all the time is not esteemable. I have zero sense of accomplishment and pride in doing this.
Here's the thing though: The thought of limiting my time here feels painful. That's how I know I'm addicted right now. I mean, when RUclips went down a couple of weeks ago, I felt, well, lost. I have a large number of possibilities for things I can do for entertainment, and none of them sounded good. Not drawing, not painting, not reading, not even Netflix. That's not right.
What's worse is that even knowing all of this, I don't really want to stop. I don't even have auto-play on, but dang, that Recommended algorithm knows exactly what I'm interested in. There's about 5 videos right now in the sidebar that I want to watch.
I know that I'm going to have to force myself to get off of here. I also know it's going to feel hard, while I get those neural pathways recalibrated. And I pretty much hate that I'm going to have to work at it. Passive consumption is just so easy. The designers absolutely knew what they were doing here.
These videos are great, people really need to hear this, especially teenagers
Excellent topic, just subscribed!
So that is how tech companies do it and great video BrainCraft :]
Ending with FindShadow was a cunning psychological trick that I'm happy to say worked marvelously.
More folks should watch this stuffs. Less misinformation spreading as well.
No words to appreciate you, now this is mind blowing 🙂 and yes I subscribed !
Thank you!!
This series is so fantastic and important!
Thanks Eva!
Awesome video. I'm gladly giving you my attention.
Your videos and this series are just fabulous. Thanks for helping us to understand the social media strategies and specially Facebook :) 👏😀😀
First thing I do when I install an app is stop notifications and that's why I haven't pressed any bell icons on RUclips channels :P
I click the bell icons, but i have set RUclips to notify me once a day in single digest.. so notifications come but at the same time every day about everything in a single digest, so that i can watch some videos while travelling back to home from work.
Anyways i have removed all social media from my life. Only way people can contact me is mails, calls or texts.. it is just a bliss.
@@awesomenitin Again, I will never get rid of my social media
honestly sometimes theres literally nothing to watch on youtube but i just keep fucking scrolling and refreshing without any goal
great series, looking forward to next episode
Am I the only one that left social media years ago when I saw that it was negatively affecting my life? I now only use RUclips on my computer instead of watching TV or Netflix as it seems to be the most benign of the attention grabbers. I have no notifications on my laptop or PC. I also got rid of my smart phone. I have found that online classes are useful ways to have fun instead of playing games and yet I still feel like I have not done enough.
You're not alone. I stopped using Facebook in 2013, because it encouraged way too much hostility, and now people seem to say it's even worse. I never joined Twitter or Instagram. I primarily click on videos on the Subscriptions page on RUclips; the Trending page is usually garbage and the Home page is 98% not what I want to watch. For Slack, at work, I use the web version and have desktop notifications off. People were annoyed at first, but eventually realized themselves how awful having notifications on is.
I didn't use traditional social media hardly at all. My girlfriend made me myspace account in highschool, didnt use it. Other girlfriend made me a facebook account in college, hardly used it. But I used discord/steam and video games to "hang out" with my friends who live far away. Video games were definitely an addiction, and it was a replacement for social media, so I can't say I didn't do social media. It was just different and my group only consisted of like 5 real life friends and 4-5 online friends that I played with regularly.
Don't be hard on yourself - to me it sounds like you have done a fair bit!
@@braincraft Thank you for the encouragement. ^^ It was quite surprising to see a content creator reply on a comment, the attention you show to your subscribers is appreciated.
I will never turn off notifications though
Your smart is absolutely the most stunning thing going on web wide ...and that's a long list of goings on! Thank you. Please never stop making these videos. You are one of the brightest stars among a constellation of lovely and brilliant souls, again, thank you.
Oh my, thank you so much!! It's so lovely to receive comments like this 😁
I suspect should you continue upon your present trajectory with the same alacrity you'll be positively effervescing with the things! @@braincraft
Great! Thanks for creating this series. In fact, maybe you have some other series in mind for the future. Any chance?
Thanks Dale! There are another 4 episodes coming out as part of this series, so every Friday for the next 4 weeks. After that, who knows?! But anything you would like to see covered please suggest below!
I highly recommend changing your default notification sounds to a unique sound. It's very liberating.
I don't blame the Attention Grabbers trying to snag us and draw us in - after all, they need to do this to "grow" (money, views, followers, etc). However, at thd end of the day, it is our choice whether to let them draw us in.
Example, I only use Facebook as a way for me to log into games; I don't use it for the social media aspect.
If a bell rings to let us know there's a notification, we have the choice to check it or not. Unless one is waiting for some important communication, I would say that most notifications can wait.
what's this app at 02:20 showing how long and often I use my phone and apps?
Dias Amreé moment
Yep, Moment on iOS. If you're on Android there are a lot of suggestions of other apps in my pinned comment.
Great video, great message!
People who can't live along side technology advancement get selected out; it's great!
This video deserves 2 billion views.
Oh, the irony...
@@braincraft I was seroius. People should know about this.
this is why mindful scrolling is important
Man, i'm addicted to swoopleft.
Would you say you enjoy ruffling feathers?
That soundfilter at 5:05 was highly unnessecary. For a moment you got me worring that my headphones were done for.
Another great video. I still don't understand how people can't put down facebook, twitter etc. I check twitter once or twice a week. Facebook once a day, to contact parts of my family who live far away. Snapchat was deleted within minutes of installing. I found it too annoying to use. My phone is usually on silent. It's a tool for me to use when I want to, not when other people want me.
Maybe I'm different in that I want to spend my time doing what I want rather than waiting to see what others are doing. When scrolling through facebook to catch up on family posts, most of it is inane rubbish. I don't care what or where you ate earlier or seeing the same meme for the seventh time today. I want to know that family and friends are okay. I need an app that displays people's status as a red, amber or green icon. Green is doing well, amber is not bad, I might benefit from a chat. Red is person isn't doing well. Then I can see at a glance that people are fine, and the odd occasion the icons change colour I can get in touch. If any of the people I know are drama fiends, I can mark them as such and the app automatically upgrades their icon colour by one.
This would give me an at a glance view of the people I care about and a clear indication on who needs my attention without the clutter of memes, posts to save invented people by clicking like or the propagation of bad facts or advice.
Thanks for watching Maxx - having a well-being status is a really cool idea.
I only have/keep facebook because before I had it nobody told me about any events or get-togethers (I think not having social media was one of the main reasons I hardly had any friends through school), and now facebook is the only way I'll ever have contact with my friends. They certainly won't reach out to contact me if i delete it. I'm really bad at asking people for phone numbers as well.
Then what’s the alternative then? Not everyone I know and care lives in a 100 mile radius, how I going to know about the new taco place and new music?
Always a good question - my aim here is for all of us to be more mindful with how we use technology, and to talk about the impact it’s having on our behaviour and lives. I love technology! But found it was impacting my life in strange ways and wondered what it was doing to the human experience, too.
You can definitely enjoy new music and find new taco places without being distracted by constant notifications or spending hours on Instagram everyday. Just be more intentional with you time 🙃🌮
@@braincraft That's exactly why I don't have my phone out when I'm out with friends
BJ Fogg at 4:19? What a name!!!
I'm surprised it didn't work on me. Not on facebook, kind of have never been (had it, barely visited, eventually deleted). It makes me wonder how people can even be functional while having such things, I'm barely functional and I don't even have e-mail alerts.
I had this in the background while doing other stuff, promptly noticed the irony and I'll continue with the next episode later
I turned off notifications for social media and emails a while ago and it helps. However when I do get around to looking (too often!) I still end up falling down the thumb scroll rabbit hole :(
I used this video to trick my brain into using the treadmill for 10 minutes
VERY productive 🙌
More connected than ever yet its harder by the day to not be lonely. Ive chosen to embrace loneliness and focus on improving myself. Still though it feels like a peice is missing from modern digital life.
It’s crazy because is true. And a Fb whistleblower just came up front talking about this.
Nice way of presentation
It's surprising to me that it hasn't been mentioned the new tools that Apple and Google provide on the new versions of iOS and Android. You don't need to install any app to know how much time you spend on the phone and in apps, and how many pickups you do during the day, it all comes with the system now! And the best part is that you can limit the system easily, go and limit the time on Facebook, it's super easy and it helps you control your behaviour. I'm really happy that companies like Apple are helping us fight this attention war.
Hey! I did mention that in the last episode - this is a six part series so trying no to repeat myself. As we were researching/writing this all of the new operating systems included digital well-being tools! I was very happy about it.
This is all very meta, using the methods outlined in persuasive technology to “persuade” us into coming back 4 more times to get the full story. More engagement, more videos to click that like button on and more advertising plugs than in 1 long video
It is meta and ironic all at once. I do hope all the content will be thought provoking and helpful. Thank you for your attention 🙃
Great video quality and content 👌
Thanks so much! 🧠
Thank you mother.
Notifications annoy me. It's an almost OCD response in that anything with a red notification needs to be removed. I always turn off push notifications on apps that allow me to. It's the least helpful feature on smart phones for me.
I do all of these solutions. Many of my friends are pissed , but i always avoid seeing my phone without reason.
Good on you! I just reply late to everything and people learn to deal with it!
I did like this video because it shows mechanism behind modern adverts .. same time I didn't like because of constantly visible logos (even not really critical to topic) of Mac book pro or just shape of Iphone.
So ... ethical design or lack of responsibility?
This video was pretty interesting, but left me with a couple of questions in regards to Jaron Lanier's statements about Facebook and suicide.
When Jaron Lanier says "it increases suicide,"
1) to what research is he referring?
2) does he mean "increases suicide" or "increases the risk of suicide?" From my understanding, those two statements are very different, with the former implying that there is research that has demonstrated clear cause and effect and the latter meaning there is a correlation.
Hey Abby - I'm pretty sure he meant "increases risk of suicide" as scientifically it would be near possible to draw a direct conclusion from such research, there are always other factors. I'm not sure of the research he was talking about specifically, though this article is a good starting point: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3477910/
@@braincraft Awesome! Thank you for responding! I had a feeling that was what he meant but felt it was important to clarify. 👍
I love the energy
See the September 2017 issue of National Geographic. Months of a cocaine addiction clinic therapy did nothing. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation worked according to the article. The article argues addiction is not a matter of morality but a treatable medical condition. A brain must be balanced for personal responsibility (the illusion of free will) to work. Without parts of the brain like the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex putting messages from the striatum into perspective with its rationalizations, a persons actions are more likely to come from more primitive areas of the brain such as the striatum. Medical therapies such as transcranial magnetic stimulation can start to grow back areas of the brain which may have been reduced from the stress of modern society or military combat.
That donut cup is not terribe! We are not yet ready for its greatness! All hail the donut cup!
Lol it has horrific reviews on amazon and spilt water all over my shirt!
This may be a funny question to ask but what's that app you mentioned that tracks how often you check your phone? I'm of the opinion that I do so much less often than most but I'd like to see it in proper numbers rather than just my feeling
The one I used is called Moment! It's only for iOS, some Android suggestions are in my pinned comment up the top. It's a little terrifying when you see the REAL stats of how many times you check your phone.
@@braincraft Thanks I'll check some of those android ones for a week and see if I'm right. Though the fact that I sit at a computer most of the day probably counters my lack of use of my phone (though youtube's my only social media)
Know what else gives you a real addictive buzz? When you comment on someone's video and then RUclips tells you that they
DONE
Nice talk
really like the series!
🙏🏻
this was simply amazing ! keep uploading such wonderful content
Trust me, you don't really want that donut cup!
Sometimes you don't really have to delete your accounts, all you need to do is to forget the password. If you were as lucky as me and didn't set up proper password recovery options, your problems slowly drift away.
LOL
An honest question, how do you bring up this sort of thing with a family member? I have two members in my extended family that almost constantly need some sort of stimulus, whether from their phone, laptop, or Kindle. It makes them incredibly boring to be around, but I'm not quite sure how to bring it up.
That is a tough one - try framing it in terms of how you're feeling, rather than saying they "shouldn't" be doing something or in a way that may make them feel judged or attacked. So something like... "sometimes I feel sad or frustrated [or insert emotion] when you're using your device at the table [or in whatever setting], would you consider having no devices at dinner tonight?" Hope that helps!
Thank you, that helps!
and yes, pavlovs dogs and conditioning. but if you know whats going on, it doesnt work, or at least that well. but most people are easy to lead on and social media is being used against them. maybe not quitting it, but being aware is key
Awesome!
Subbed.
😃
I love it! Please do more
09:17 I don't agree with this. Because i personally think something exist right before our eyes is coencive. Let's just imagine that slice of a cake is on the table near us. Would you say whether eat or not to eat is my choice?
Weird thing, but I have discovered that wearing a smart watch helps with this. When I get a notification I can check it on my watch, and it doesn't pull me into a scroll. I don't have to pick up my phone.
That dreadlocks dude looks like a cross between a Simpson and southpark character
Rastafarian Adam Savage! Jah Bless!
careful, he is also the founder of modern Virtual Reality.
The only thing I use notifications for is when someone replies int the same comment thread as me. As for watching youtube videos, I just go through my subscriptions page and watch what I want.
Subbed, quality vid
Thank you!! 😁
Swear this is the last video I am gonna watch today.
One day I hope you share that skincare routine I'm sure others are curious lol
It’s all in the studio lighting!!
Grate video
There's actually a movement to move back to dumb phones recently, probably for reasons discussed here.
0:27 That’s not how you drink from a mug. You have to flip it sideways.
There is really no good angle when you're using a donut mug.
Ahh... but there is the right one. Handle perpendicular to you. Hand on one side. Design facing you.
Personal Responsibility is absolute, using your logic for unfairness anything that elicits a dopamine response including chocolate, cigarettes, coffee should be regulated what kind of world that be where wenfantilise people. Even Jaron Lanier is an addict in another sense as he is quite obese maybe we should regulate pizza and snickers using his logic. This whole situation is ridiculous.
I firmly believe that autonomous cars are less about safety and more about keeping our eyes on screens. If the agencies pushing this ungodly expensive and temperamental technology on to consumers really cared about our safety, tobacco would be illegal.
Some of us don't _do_ social media...