Computer Scientists as Modern Hypnotists: Placing a Trance on Societal Norms

Abstract

It is without question that the use of digital technology (DT) has pervaded everyday life. From video chatting with a family member in another country, to checking the weather on a handheld computer, technology has provided society with many benefits. Social media, like Facebook (FB), Twitter, and LinkedIn, have seemingly brought the world closer, but at what cost? In this article, we show that the mass use of technology, more specifically social media, have led to the conscious will of users to be hijacked by platforms in order to increase their user-base and capital. We do this by first evaluating the impact of technology on one's conscious will, the feeling that one's actions are caused by oneself. After finding that technology makes users feel as though their actions are more consciously willed, and people naturally want to feel consciously willed, the next logical step is to analyze how modern tech companies use this to their advantage. Looking at features from popular social media, we describe how these features artificially increase the feeling of users' actions being consciously willed, regardless of if the users are actually consciously willing their actions. Finally, we discuss ways in which individuals can reclaim control over their conscious will, and how to reduce this commodification of will at a company level. The ability of a company to control the decision-making metrics of their users should strike one as troubling; whereas the power of a company to hypnotize its users into thinking that they are using the platform because they want to, and not because the company wants them to, is quite concerning.