Ethics and humanity in the age of technology

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@NATHALIENAHAINATHALIENAHAI.COM
ETHICS AND
TECHNOLOGY
HUMANITY
IN THE AGE OF

We’ve all see the headlines

The tech industry is facing new challenges

NEW CHALLENGES
1. Consumer trust in brands is low
Adweek (2016) How Big a Problem Is It for Google and Facebook That Consumers Don’t Trust Them? http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/
how-big-problem-it-google-and-facebook-consumers-don-t-trust-them-169108
MEF (2017) Global Consumer Trust Report 2017. https://mobileecosystemforum.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/
MEF_Global_Consumer_Trust_Report_2017.pdf

NEW CHALLENGES
2. Ad & tracker blocking is up
PageFair (2016) Adblocking goes Mobile, PageFair 2016 Mobile Adblocking Report. https://pagefair.com/downloads/2016/05/Adblocking-Goes-
Mobile.pdf

NEW CHALLENGES
2. Ad & tracker blocking is up
3. VPN use is up
PageFair (2016) Adblocking goes Mobile, PageFair 2016 Mobile Adblocking Report. https://pagefair.com/downloads/2016/05/Adblocking-Goes-
Mobile.pdf
GlobalWebIndex (2016) 4 Things to Know About VPN Users. http://www.globalwebindex.net/blog/4-things-to-know-about-vpn-users

The landscape is changing rapidly

WHERE WE ARE NOW
• FOMO to JOMO

WHERE WE ARE NOW
• FOMO to JOMO
• Greater expectations of privacy

WHERE WE ARE NOW
• FOMO to JOMO
• Value of first-person data, collected w/ consent

WHERE WE ARE NOW
• FOMO to JOMO
• Value of first-person data, collected w/ consent
• Move towards encrypted services

We’re at an ethical inflection point

Our long-term success, as businesses &
individuals, hinges on what we do now

So where do we go from here?

“ ”
https://youtu.be/TVS45dbNL-E
We need to creatively redesign
our environment & behaviour
David Holmgren

What roadmap can we follow?

12
Design
principles for
a system
Sustainable
Humane
Fair12

Today we’re going to look at just two

Self-regulation
& feedback
12
6
9 3
111
57
48
10 2

Privacy has become a major concern

Consumer expectations are evolving

CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS

Personalisation

Personalisation
Convenience

Personalisation
Convenience
Privacy

Personalisation
Convenience
Privacy
Data control

Although personalised content can  
increase purchase intention…

…there can be a hidden cost

PSYCHOLOGICAL
REACTANCE
J. W. Brehm (1966) A theory of psychological reactance. New York: Academic Press.

The motivation to regain a
freedom after it has been lost or
threatened leads people to resist
the social influence of others
“ ”
S. S. Brehm and J. W. Brehm (2013) Psychological reactance: A theory of freedom and control. New York:
Academic Press.

REACTANCE
When we receive an ill-judged ad from a brand:

REACTANCE
• We don’t know

REACTANCE
• We don’t know
• We don’t trust

REACTANCE
• We don’t know
• We don’t trust
• We’ve never bought from

This can lead to…

CREEPINESS
FACTOR
L. Barnard (2014) The cost of creepiness: How online behavioral advertising affects consumer purchase intention.
Dissertation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The feeling that your
every move, both public & private,
is being watched, tracked, followed,
analysed & capitalised on
“ ”
L. Barnard (2014) The cost of creepiness: How online behavioral advertising affects consumer purchase intention.
Dissertation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Yet behavioural advertising can  
increase purchase intention

How can brands succeed?

We need to take take a long-term view
of success & build relationships…

…It all comes down to trust

Single most important ingredient
for development & maintenance of
happy, well-functioning relationships
“ ”
Simpson, J. A. (2007). Psychological foundations of trust. Current directions in psychological science, 16(5),  
264-268.

TRUST
Lack of trust is one of the biggest
impediments to successful ecommerce

THE PROBLEM
• Stories without substance

THE PROBLEM
• Create a sense of apathy & disempowerment

THE PROBLEM
• Create a sense of apathy & disempowerment
• Undermine trust & goodwill towards brands

APPLY SELF-REGULATION 
ACCEPT FEEDBACK

ACCEPT FEEDBACK
APPLY SELF-REGULATION
Inappropriate action:

ACCEPT FEEDBACK
Inappropriate action: invasion of privacy

ACCEPT FEEDBACK
Reaction:

ACCEPT FEEDBACK
Reaction: psychological reactance

ACCEPT FEEDBACK
Feedback:

ACCEPT FEEDBACK
Feedback: VPN, ad-blocker, tracker-blocker

ACCEPT FEEDBACK
Feedback: VPN, ad-blocker, tracker-blocker
So what could self-regulation look like?

We need to walk the talk

ACTIONS SPEAK
Louder THAN WORDS

So how do we do it?

AUTHENTICITY

“ ”
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/authenticity
The quality of being real or true

AUTHENTICITY
• Being congruent (actions match your words)

AUTHENTICITY
• Behaving with honesty and integrity

AUTHENTICITY
• Behaving with honesty and integrity
• Standing up for your values

https://twitter.com/MuireannO_C/status/836560622439575552

https://twitter.com/emptyjamjar/status/836608227634720777

RESPONSIBILITY

“ ”
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/responsibility
Good judgment and the
ability to act correctly and
make decisions on your own

RESPONSIBILITY
• Owning up to your mistakes

RESPONSIBILITY
• Making amends in a timely & appropriate way

RESPONSIBILITY
• Making amends in a timely & appropriate way
• Delivering on your promises

Don’T

DO

https://twitter.com/a1goy/status/966971427806240768

TRANSPARENCY

“ ”
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/transparency#dataset-business-english
A situation in which business &
financial activities are done in an open  
way without secrets, so that people can  
trust that they are fair and honest

TRANSPARENCY
• Being clear about the value exchange

TRANSPARENCY
• Making it easy to cancel / unsubscribe

TRANSPARENCY
• Making it easy to cancel / unsubscribe
• Not hiding unpleasant information

Most people sign up here,  
but if you dig deeper…

You’re not getting a ‘30 day £1 trial’…

You’re not getting a ‘30 day £1 trial’… 
…you’re signing up for covert subscription

When it comes to personalisation & practices
that encroach upon people’s privacy…

THE QUESTION

THE QUESTION
Could

THE QUESTION
Could
Is it possible?

THE QUESTION
Could
Is it possible?
Should

THE QUESTION
Could
Is it possible?
Should
Is it ethical?

THE ART OF BUILDING TRUST

A
R
T

A UTHENTICITY
R
T

A UTHENTICITY
R ESPONSIBILITY
T

A UTHENTICITY
R ESPONSIBILITY
T RANSPARENCY

Self-regulation
& feedback
Integrate rather
than segregate
12
6
9 3
111
57
48
10 2

INTEGRATE RATHER THAN
SEGREGATE

Relationships are mediated by social media

One of the key principle that shapes
why & what we share…

homophily

“ ”
Love of the same
Our tendency to associate &
bond with similar others

But perceived similarity has its drawbacks

“ ”
Chu, S. C., & Kim, Y. (2011). Determinants of consumer engagement in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) in social
networking sites. International journal of Advertising, 30(1), 47-75.
A homophilous source is more
likely to be perceived as credible,
trustworthy, and reliable…

“ ”
Chu, S. C., & Kim, Y. (2011). Determinants of consumer engagement in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) in social
networking sites. International journal of Advertising, 30(1), 47-75.
…The effectiveness of
communication may be greater

Even if that source is unreliable

CONFIRMATION BIAS

“ ”
Plous, S. (1993). The psychology of judgment and decision making. Mcgraw-Hill Book Company.
Search for, interpret, favor & recall
information in a way that confirms one’s
preexisting beliefs or hypotheses

HOMOGENOUS
INFORMATION

HOMOGENOUS
INFORMATION
Confirms existing views

HOMOGENOUS
INFORMATION
Comforting

HOMOGENOUS
INFORMATION
Comforting
Reinforces our perspectives

HOMOGENOUS
INFORMATION
Comforting
Encourages stasis

We amplify people & content we agree with,
for good or for bad

This dynamic has its limitations

INTEGRATE RATHER THAN
SEGREGATE
How can we create alternatives to echo-
chambers that foster division, entrenchment &
lack of understanding between differing
perspectives?

HOMOGENOUS HETEROGENOUS
INFORMATION
Comforting
Encourages stasis

INFORMATION
Comforting
Encourages stasis
Challenges our views

INFORMATION
Comforting
Encourages stasis
Uncomfortable

INFORMATION
Comforting
Encourages stasis
Uncomfortable
Alternative perspectives

INFORMATION
Comforting
Encourages stasis
Uncomfortable
Alternative perspectives
Encourages growth

Challenging people’s preconceptions can
have a powerful emotional impact & bring into
dialogue divergent points of view

In conclusion

If we want to design a system that is
sustainable, humane and fair, we have to take
an integrated, connected approach

Today we dived into…

12
Observe & interact
Catch & store
Obtain a yield
Self-regulation
& feedback
Use & value renewable
resources
Produce no waste
Design from patterns
to details
Integrate rather
than segregate
Small & slow
solutions
Use & value diversity
Use edges & value
the marginal
Creatively use & respond to change
12
6
9 3
111
57
48
10 2

If you leave with one message…

“ ”
France Convention Nationale. (1793). Collection générale des décrets rendus par la Convention Nationale (Vol.
33).
Great responsibility follows
inseparably from great power

If you want to find out more…

Listen now:
webpsy.ch/hive

WEBS OF INFLUENCE
The 2nd Edition
Out now:
webpsy.ch/WOI-2

THANK YOU!
@NathalieNahai
NathalieNahai.com

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