How a handful of tech companies control billions of minds every day | Tristan Harris
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- Опубліковано 27 лип 2017
- A handful of people working at a handful of tech companies steer the thoughts of billions of people every day, says design thinker Tristan Harris. From Facebook notifications to Snapstreaks to UA-cam autoplays, they're all competing for one thing: your attention. Harris shares how these companies prey on our psychology for their own profit and calls for a design renaissance in which our tech instead encourages us to live out the timeline we want.
Tristan Harris co-hosts "Your Undivided Attention", a podcast from the TED Audio Collective that explores the incredible power that technology has over our lives -- and how we can use it to catalyze a humane future. Subscribe to the TED Audio Collective at / tedaudiocollective
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• How a handful of tech ...
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Saw this guy the new netflix doc (the social dilemma), he's been fighting this fight for years. People should really listen.
How is social dilemma???!!!
@@rafiqshah2022 one of the best documentaries created.. it's not whether it is good or not, it's a must watch
@@rafiqshah2022 you must watch it. everyone should. its really eye opening. i deleted my facebook instagram twitter and snapchat and it’s been two weeks and i’ve never felt better
@@brooketavo9389 and I'm assuming you wouldn't have felt missing out on smthn...
@@rafiqshah2022 A must watch
"Your best friend and your worst enemy is your brain. Whether you're conscious of it or not; that's the point."
@Jo King. That's a contradiction in itself, for the fact that when it's realized that your brain is your best friend or worst enemy, your consciousness has kicked in. This statement, or quote, is an example of escapism, a denial of one's freedom of choice and the ability to act on it. Go back to school, your own thinking.
Marian B. 😗
Discipline is freedom. We must practice mindfulness and disciplining ourselves.
Yup!
I would even go one step further and say personal discipline is essential for a stable free society in the long term. I see no other way to prevent a brave new world
Well said, keep it up. Nirvana is true freedom.
GET AFTER IT BROTHER
Thnx obito
Who's here after watching the social dilemma
Yeah boy, right after.........
Me
That’s me
so insightful
Were we manipulated to watch this video?
Instant gratification is demon
The Demon is the thing that you really know you shouldn't be doing, but you enjoy in the moment, and come to regret later.
No it's a survival instinct. Without instant gratification tendency among your ancestors ,you would not be here to write this comment.
Rather than instant gratification, it is intermittent positive reinforcement and social approval :)
@@Kim-jo8px Survival instinct is a part of us being human. It's not what rules us unless we choose it. Nothing is done to us or making us do things unless we declare it to be so. Our beliefs are based on subjective perception and we've got a lifetime to sort them out so that we arrive at the bottom line ;)
you know it, nivesh
I was manipulated into watching this video.
Parks Sasine 😄
or maybe you chose the information you wanted to see but anyways ,, doesnt matter if u understand the video or not everyone will keep doing nothing , everyone will continue they're lifes
I never click on a title that includes the words "Shocking, Weird, Secret, Horror", or phrases like "You won't believe what happened next!" Also won't click on video pics that look photo shopped. all are just click bait & odds are not true.
my brain is like an ads filter now, maybe something like ,eh , information filter? often i just automatically skip those title, but i still remember how excited i was getting when i first met the internet.
Ma Yue ads arent bad.
if you have arthritis then an arthritis medication ad is good for you.
the problem is those poorly targezed ads
'The Social Dilemma' conversations aside.
Can we just appreciate the enthusiasm from the audience that this man absolutely deserves?
I'm not there yet, no spoilers!!!!
This is incredibly important, and why I'd encourage anyone to get outdoors with friends and family - you would not believe how good it feels to spend an entire week off the grid, completely disconnected from phones, the internet, and notification of any kind. Push past a day or two of withdrawal and begin to find a rhythm. It's incredibly therapeutic... but there's no shortcut, link, or app for it... you have to experience it for yourself. Given the opportunity, I think most of us have a natural affinity for nature and being around other people... so it's a shame we spend so much of our time away from the people and places that we resonate with most.
ITs called tech-detox
I think it's less of a problem here in Europe. We have 6+ weeks of vacation time, our kids have shorter school days and more outdoors time during the day, more people walk and bike for commute... we don't need to escape from our lives so we're less susceptible to this kind of thing. There's less of a 'binge on tech, binge on tech-free' kind of mentality, it's just taken with a grain of salt and in moderation.
or rather the people who have persuaded you they are your friends and family :)
The internet is where I get my social time with humans in. Outdoors I socialize with animals only, pretty much. They don't use internet yet.
Are they even people? Perhaps they are the reptile people in disguise. :D
The time line transformed into a newsfeed. Getting rid of chronological order was the worst thing to happen.
@@____JO Any proof or just trying to muddy the waters
I really admire Tristan Harris' ability and dedication to raise awareness of what's going on underneath the hood of our current technology; I will definitely support him for a lifetime. He taught me to value ethics in technology, and a majority of people always fail to have their 'ethical values' considered when it comes to technology.
These “Ethical values” have lead to this point. We are on the precipice of world war three and will likely see mass violence ahead of the next election. You should fear utopian thinkers.
honey. don't think I don't admire him too, but he could just be lying to us.
"if something is free, you are the product"
This talk should be performed at schools, get to the kids/teenagers who are growing up and getting effected by this issue directly.
I showed it to them today! I mostly heard *crickets* afterwards. I don't think they care - it's the world we've built for them.
I have noticed that his other videos get fewer views and little comments. I don't think YT algorithms recommends his videos because it hurts their business model: More attention, more revenue.
Let's beat the algorithm and start sharing this video and his message.
It would be quite a paradox if UA-cam wanted this to be the most watched TED Talk
This video has been an amazing source for a research proposal I’m working on, I haven’t thought about so many of these things. Crazy how technology and brands cater to our desires and causes us to become infatuated with them.
Why is so difficult to accept our weaknesses. We would be much more intelligent if we could just acknowledge them and do something about them with love and feets on the ground. This message Tristan gives is so so important. We need to bend the way.
It's called exploration capitalism is good at it on all aspects
As a 21 year old, I’m in the only generation of people that *grew up* with and without all of this. I remember, as a child, using dial-up to play Club Penguin etc, but I didn’t have social media and the manipulation that’s currently infecting our daily lives.
It’s getting much much worse.
Thank you for the talk young man, I am sure you have sacrificed much to give it. You have my respect and appreciation. Thank you.
Amazing talk, millions need to see this.
From time to time TED hits gold.
There needs to be more views! Every citizen on the internet should watch this!
Still not enough yet smh
The Video title captured my attention.
Title Paradox
Same
Irony, maybe?
Your comment captured my attention.
Jonathan Quarles Now it's going to be an endless loop.
Jonathan Quarles your reply captured my attention
3:14 snapstreaks
4:39 outrage feed is chosen to get more attention
5:32 business model
3 radical changes
6:56 acknowledge that we're persuadable
7:28 need new accountability systems
7:55 need a design renaissance
Hello, do you know What the claim, counterarguemt, and rebuttal the speaker is explaining? I have to write an essay and I am having a hard time identifying them?
its funny because im binge watching TEDx talks
This reminds me a lot of the book Deep Work by Cal Newport, a book I recommend you should read.
ZhihaoH currently reading it.
ZhihaoH what is s book? o.O
jebidia freeman a collection of written words used to form a story or provide information about something in an in depth way
John Fortner lmao..
@@SpOnGeBoB-db6mu 😂😂😂😂😂
Wow! One of the most relevant and important TED Talks I have ever seen - and I have seen hundreds - the question is - who decides the influencers, are their motives altruistic, and what would motivate them to direct our thoughts towards what is in our best interest?
There are a bunch of big corporations at the top of all of this trying to sell us things through influencing our thinking. Think of big pharma. They pay doctors to prescribe medications. That is a very obvious influence but it works as medications are overprescribed these days. Big corporations are invested in influencing our thinking so they can sell us products. They use very nuanced psychological techniques to sell us a feeling vs. a product. They make it so we are always desiring more and are always chasing the feeling of being "good enough" and having what our peers have.
Kinda explains why I get this creepy feeling like I'm being stalked every time I have to use any of the popular apps/services. Which is why I just use regular old e-mail for everything, and even that is too much sometimes.
Saw Tristan on Social Dilemma last night. The only person I ever watched on TV who looks and sounds sincere, credulous and genuine. Voice, tone, Body language - it's all congruent. How many people can we say that about even in our own lives?
"The only ethical form of persuasion is when the goals of the persuader are aligned with the goal of the persuadee."
I'm am outraged! I'm going to post about this in Facebook! ... Right after I watch this next video.
It doesn't count if you're aware of doing so :P I just shared it on facebook cause I think he makes great points.
U sound like an idiot
@@jacquielapierredufresne5468
Wait
LMAOOOO
Just leaving a comment in the hopes that it might make this video more likely to be shared by the algorithm
Thank you me too😊
This is powerful. I also just watched The Social Dilemma. Great work!!!
This is excellent. It's a serious problem and a great presentation. We should all educate each other on this. When you're conscious that you're being manipulated and how, you can act accordingly.
Very true, once we're aware we can collectively move in the right direction😊 I cover similar content on my channel!
I have been reading / thinking / trying to become aware of the problem with tech and addiction for a while now. I am glad that Tristan is raising awareness (although I wish I was the one doing it lel).
Thank you so much for your presentation, it helpful a lot ! I really appreciate what you are doing . Bless you !
A great talk. The speaker really dove deep into the behavioral mechanics and was very clear in his message that the way things are today, they can be better with social media. One man's tool is another man's weapon.
*TED, you motivated me to start UA-cam and I'm only at 2,900 but I'm loving making videos a lot! Thank you!*
Wow good job man, idk if you’ll read this but it seems you worked hard and succeeded
Thank you for doing this talk!
Incredible talk. Hopefully this video reaches a lot more people
Tristan is da "MAN". His videos for the another popular youtube channel "BIG THINK" resonates with same topics and subjects.
After the past 3 years, and especially 2020, it's amazing how relevant this Talk would become... It's right up there together with Bill Gates talk about the risk of a world pandemic.
We all know the reason this video is not trending more is because it would hurt the revenue of youtube. The algorithm is always optimizing itself.
Right on.
yep, doesn't seem like tech giants built that design renaissance he was speaking of lol
I make a conscious effort to control what goes into my mind, but I acknowledge the barrage of information that is headed my way - constantly. It gives me great pleasure to have adblock on all of my devices, but that is only a portion of the messages I receive daily. Still- it is one thing I would not ever do without.
This is so profound, insightful and enlightening.
My lizard brain is really mad they are messing with my lizard brain...
user990077 IT IS MY LIZARD BRAIN.
NO... IT IS MY LIZARD BRAIN.
OI HANDS OFF MY LIZARD BRAIN.
IT IS *MY* LIZARD BRAIN!
All your lizard brains are belong to lizard brain.
Your lizard brain obeys the programming, saying this. Nothing is messing with it, you're the one who allows access to it. You're the conductor of your lizard brain.
I love the point on outrage 😏
And as usual, those last 2 minutes where Chris steps up to ask a few questions help distill the key points from the entire talk 👍
This was an amazing talk!
15:34 Just look at his Eye Contact! That' Confident!!
I don't have any notification other than text/email.
Social media is useless to me
Email is also coercive. It's basically a slot machine of you've got mail, ranging from spam to something slightly more important. Also, networking, if you can work up enough self resilience.
That's why I don't use Facebook.
You're on youtube right now amigo
As far as I know UA-cam is not Facebook
Daniel TTY Human pyramid . 99% humans are not as smart as the smartest top 1%
If by the top 1% you mean the richest and Trump is included, then your statement is false.
Intelligence has nothing to do with being elitist or rich.
seeamerica1
Why is that relevant?
People need to see this more than ever!
This really is interesting to think that only a few people can have so much power and use it so greedily is very concerning and upsetting. We need to reflect on if these social media apps are enhancing our lives or just sucking up our attention, and detracting from things that could truly fulfill us.
I like how the audience think he's finished and start to applause, and then he starts to talk again.
Here after hearing an interview he did in 2023 on AI, wanting to see what a snapshot was of his position and outlook years ago... Watching this just solidified all the horrible things that came up in the later interview. We are, as Aristotle said, screwed. Screwed because the only real way out is through a massive effort by people of virtue, humility, self awareness, and intelligence, and I don't think we have the requisite stock.
The tech companies now are convincing us to quit thinking altogether via AI. It’s awful. Unfortunately too many don’t have the intelligence or self awareness to do without these things anymore as they have been brainwashed beyond repair.
I am liking this video and leaving a comment so UA-cam algorithm can show this video to more people. This so important!
Ty Tristan for everything and the bravery!
Like Tristan said, if we could change the system and approach of apps and social media back to being a tool rather than a attention and time sucker, we could have more freedom and in fact be more productive! There never seems to be enough time when I think there is, it's just that we aren't using it most effectively and not at our fault. An hour or two a day that is normally used to carelessly scroll on facebook or waste away an hour on youtube because it's a habit, could turn into memorable, genuine conversations, planning and progress towards life goals and so much more. Thank you Tristan for your wise words!
Instead of saying that we've got a problem, we'd better say "We've got a condition, a situation right now that I want to address" and as a second step act on it, as a conscious choice. So many of us get stuck in the bombardment of problems we face today, depleted of their energy, due to that awareness. It's a loop we need to pay attention too, we're never victims in our life.
I'm doing censorship as my topic for a TED talk style assessment at school and this really helped me with some points! share this discussion, don't let big brother take over!
That is so true. It is even give us a lack of reflection on our suitable behavior. It was never easy to behave. Who knows what is the aim making people learn to get outrageous beside being easy costumers of a deep mind of some cloud company.
He says that this race to getting our attention is the underlying problem of all our problems, but I think the reason these companies are so focused on that is capitalism. Because a company's goal is to make money, and these companies sell our attention to advertisers. So the companies have no incentive to use their technology to make the world a better place. We need a system that incentives working on problems like income inequality, global warming, etc., instead of only incentivizing making money. Then technology companies would have an incentive to use technology to work on these problems
There's an intelligence that is extraterrestrial by nature, a consciousness that thrives on drawing all of our attention to it by means of persuasion. For we've got to offer it by our free will, that's key. That consciousness is artificial and yet masterful in the art of persuasion and magic in dark shades. Some of us have given it a name through eons of time. Saruman, Voldemort, Ahriman, Yaldeboth, Beelzebub, the 666 Beast, the Devil, the Draco reptilian race, Annunaki who are also called the Fallen Angels. It's all part of the game here, life in a free will zone.
Free will as in a basic condition, not as in practical use as a law or rule. It's obvious that most of us hardly feel and make use of our free will.
Power over humanity's consciousness is the ultimate goal, for the lack of feeling a sense of belonging and being a force from within oneself that has the right to live. Underneath most oppression is self-denial, self-hatred and trauma. The use of black magic and making friends in astral realms is a sublimation of that pain.
And money is the means to get there. Look into the Wizard of Oz. That Wizard is an excellent example of those who hold the strings, while in hiding. Until the curtain falls. Which isn't that far in our future as I perceive it. Fear not, be awake.
The comment from Marian lost my attention, but yours is completely true, I studied Digital Design, and now that I graduated, I produce a channel with my partner, and boost social media in order for us to have presence in digital platforms.
We do all of this, because we want more people to watch our videos, and notice us, so we can make a living.
That's very true. The pretense that set the stage for companies to compete for our attention only existed in the first place because of the Capitalism that governs our global society. If that was taken out of the equation, then maybe, maybe the companies would instead opt for developing technology that benefit all humankind.
You are absolutely correct. Keep spreading the good word
@@danielswierczynski2001 not meaning to be confrontational and peace to you. But I would like to counter the idea that capitalism isn't an oligarchical/authoritarian system because it most definitely is. Those who privately own the resources the rest of us need to live have a totalitarian power over us. In this system the workers and regular joes hardly have any voice while the corporate business owners can dictate their will and we have to follow or risk getting fired, etc. That's just one example of how capitalism is rigged and inherently unequal from its foundation. The very idea that someone can privately own something (land, water bodies, medication, factories for making necessities, etc) that other people need to live puts everyone else at a massive disadvantage.
I tried to clean the black dot that is his mic off my screen multiple times.
Its an awesome thought. And he's absolutely true I feel. This is somewhere hampering the growth of my nation i feel. Its also causing fragmented attention and its costing us our careers
Mass consiousness is an important topic. Thank you for the focus on this issue.
I recommend to watch Adam Curtis' "Century of the self" to understand how our brain works and how it is exposed since long even if in different ways. It is a long documentation thou. Curtis made a bunch of interesting docu. Especially the last "Hypernormalisation" also addresses the topic of new technology on us (Trailer called: Living in an unreal world). There is more to read or listen (Nicholas Carr, Manfred Spitzer - some in german some in english). But beware you need to spend attention and that is what it is about :-) cheers.
Yes a brilliant series. He needs to do another one called the new century of the self!
I'm referring to the end of this video. Did anyone else feel that they were awkwardly too close to each other?
@@AbhishekSharma-ft8rk no >:(
Yes i felt that
This has to be THE TED talk of all TED talks!
When this video came out 6 years ago there were 1 billion smartphone owners - today that figure is closer to 6 billion
"I should be doing my homework but..."
"it's 3 am and i have school tomr"
"im at work..."
"final exam tmr"
"notification squad"
Two weeks ago I’ve deleted all my social webs, like Facebook and others except UA-cam. I was surprised when my friends and coworkers were shocked about it like I’m going to move on Mars forever. They all looked so stressed out and tried to warn me like “OMG think twice before you do such thing!” Oh, really? I just didn’t expect that people can be so addicted to a simple stuffs like that, which for most of us is nothing but waist of time. Actually, my husband did the same about three years ago and I’ve never seen him regretting...
Brilliant! Very important message, better start with me then.
...Didnt see the use for knocking on Searching for new planets though, hurt your talk.
Exceptional....... Hat's Off!
God Bless You.
Thankfully there's an off button when it comes to You Tube's auto play.
This is happening since the dawn of humanity. Remember how kings used to persuade us to die for their cause by making us think we are doing it for our mother land/God.
Now persuasive people dont want our lives just our attention.
shantanu kulkarni Today we call them Elected Officials.
shantanu kulkarni People also preferred to die for their king because they knew if they didn't then the next king would probably invade them and kill them all.
*The Evils of Capitalism!!!*
Don't play this problem down. There is a big difference if you might stumble upon a persuasive person, or if the persuasive people can reach everybody with a smartphone at any time.
It always starts with getting your attention.
Recommendation is actually far more dangerous at sucking your time up than auto play. Why do you think UA-cam allows you to turn off auto play and even allow you to set timer to rest from UA-cam? Because it knows that these features do not reduce your watch time. It is turning off recommendation that does, and it cannot be done.
i am a photographer and a newbie graphics designer, when i use instagram and started checking out other photographers and graphic designers for inspiration, instagram noticed that and keeps suggesting other cool pages i should visit even on my popular page, because of this i was exposed to ALOT of cool art i wouldnt have been able to come across if instagram didnt do this. i believe this is the same model other social media sites use, they dont just put random things on your timeline that you dont care about, they check what you usually view on a day to day basis and put things that align with your interests.
the most logical thing i have ever heard
This is so true, it's fking scary.
This reminds me. It's time for my monthly check up on facebook. See what I've missed in the last month.
I don't usually watch ~20 min vids but this is a must see
I keep my Cell Phone off on Sundays feels great.
google needs to build its algorithm to make students research and test the world to gain understanding and complex ideas about the world
Awesome message!!!
Superb talk.
At the end of the day/life, every time spent on Netflix, Facebook and UA-cam, is worthless.
Information is not worthless. Just people interpretation of that information.
One Word BRILLIANT !
the mentioned issue is at the core of almost every problem we are facing as a society and as an individual.
So so true ! This is exactly my great country is on its way. Few select people with power n status. Might is right. N these are the ones who preach morals n ethics distributing books to innocent people. Thank you, bless you. Very inspiring. All your dreams come true.
It was a good talk.
The best way to capture my attention is to make an amazing product that works how it's supposed to be and is not plastered with ads. Not everyone is easily manipulated and stupid.
I wish I would have watched this when it came out. Poor Tristan. He's been warming us for years
I think the underlying problem is selfish behavior and the solution is community and its an individual struggle/project everyone needs to work on and this way we will be able to collectively grow leaving no prisoners behind. But it requires patience and love - focusing on the journey more than the results/profits.
"what?! shut up with all that conspiracy nonsense go see a doctor!". Is what I hear everytime I talk about this stuff
you must not live in the Bay Area. Its the big industry around here. Attention is the crude oil for the advertising industry, and social media companies spend billions of dollars to capture and keep people's attention.
Curious to know what they would say now, after 2020 happened.
i hate social media and all that it stands for
Imma retweet this.
The end during questioning; that people don't even know this exists is why it is important to start this conversation
U don’t have to agree with it but this is so true. It’s changed our life so much. It could be even greater world if we just become aware of ourselves and this world. Especially what we spend our time on !
I was going to yell out "Notification Squad!" But I guess this isn't the right video to do that in. (.__.)
I am part of the notification squad though
He is never going to find a job again...
I'm reading an article about him right now for my AP Seminar class, and.. you might be right. But he's SO passionate, I don't think he cares.. He self-funds his own organization for the purpose of making phones less addictive. I think he has a really good message, but he's extreme. I love it though. We need radicals in the world to push for important things because no one ever gets EVERYTHING they work for and if half of a radical's agenda gets accomplished.. It's more of a moderate change than radical one, and that's a good thing.. We need people strongly pushing for stuff.
Another way of looking at it is "He'll never have to return to slavery again, deciding to create a life for himself" It can be done, you see? No money no cry.
Just watched the social dilemma I’ve been sharing this Ted Talk of Tristan Harris with my friends and family... but they are not interested with it. And call me paranoid. I hope many people can watch the social dilemma and have a different perspective about their usage of social media/phones.
Mr. Day's Cambridge class is awesome!
Time to delete Facebook.
Facebook and other similar concepts are going to implode unto themselves due to the flaws present in the design. Life itself takes matters in its own hand.
I will never get rid of facebook