The Internet And Mind Hijacking Flashcards
What are intermittent rewards?
Intermittent rewards are ones that you get on an inconsistent basis - you never know when or how often the reward will come. With a slot machine, for example, you may win a lot sometimes or a little regularly, or not win for a long time.
What kind of intermittent rewards do devices provide?
We regularly check our devices for intermittent rewards - such as messages from friends, replies, interesting pictures or stories in our news feeds etc.
How are devices like slot machines?
They both give intermittent and variable rewards.
What kind of rewards do devices give us?
I rewards and v rewards.
What is social reciprocity?
Social reciprocity is when we return a favour to a person for something they do. For example, we “like” their posts because they “liked” our posts.
Why are people always checking their phones?
People are always checking their phones because they have a “fear of missing something important”. Another reason is because of the “slot machine” style rewards the phones provide.
Intermittant and variable rewards can lead to what?
Intermittant and variable rewards can lead to addiction or addictive behaviour. For example, we become “addicted” to constant checking of our phones.
What is it called when at video just plays by itself?
Social media like Facebook use Autoplay of video to keep us using the service.
What are examples of forecasting errors?
One example of a forecasting error is thinking we will just spend five minutes watching one YouTube video but instead we spend an hour watching 20.
What problems does instant interruption throughout the day bring?
Instant interruptions throughout our day can lead to loss of global attention span.
What kind of foot in the door strategies does the Internet use? What is the effect?
Foot in the door strategies make us look at stuff that wasn’t our initial focus. For example, we go on Facebook to look at something in particular and end up spending time doing something else.
What is the effect of “bottomless feeds”?
“Bottomless” feeds keep us focussed on the app or social media - because there is no end to it!
What is a “bottomless feed”?
Unlike traditional media which is finite, social media often provides a “bottomless feed” - our Facebook newsfeed, for example, literally appears to have to end to it.
What are instant interruptions?
Notifications used by social media services often appear on our screens accompanied by a sound. They do not “wait” until we are ready to check social media. Instead, they interrupt our focus and attention.
