The development of computer hardware has made computers with persuasive technology more powerful and influential than ever. Persuasive Technology integrates with cutting-edge technologies such as Natural Language Processing, Big Data, and Machine Learning algorithms to make it increasingly intelligent and subtle. However, the dark sides of Persuasive Technology need to be reflected upon urgently. One accusation is that it makes smartphones more addictive to their users. A study was conducted using questionnaires and in-depth interviews to examine the impact of persuasive technologies on young smartphone users aged 18 to 26 years old from Chinese universities. Among the 183 participants, 84.70% (n=155) spend over (or equal to) four hours per day on their smartphone, and 44.26% (n=81) indicate that smartphones negatively affect their studies or professional life. Ten interviewees evaluated that they could reduce screen time by 37% if they could avoid all persuasive functions. Five out of eight interviewees reduced their screen time by 16.72% three weeks after the interviews by voluntarily turning off some persuasive functions on their smartphones. This study provides empirical evidence that persuasive technologies increase users' screen time and contribute to addictive behaviors among young smartphone users. Some commonly used persuasive design principles could have negative long-term impacts on users. The ethical problems that Human-computer interaction (HCI) designers face and users' neglected rights of acknowledgement were discussed. The survey results showed that Toma Todo, Calendar; Zhihu, WeChat news subscription, Qidian online; Music apps, Games, Short video apps, Streaming service are among the top categories for usage among young smartphone users in China. When asked about factors causing them to spend extended hours on their phones, phrases associated with emotions such as "bored", "stress", "relax", "fun", “happy”,"isolated" were used by interviewees . However this study had limitations due to its small sample size compared to the target group population size of 40 million . More questionnaires need to be distributed , and data collection methods need to be improved for more accurate screen times . Follow-up monitoring needs to be prolonged in order gain a deeper understanding of the long-term impacts of Persuasive Technology on users . Furthermore , there might be more negative effects besides addiction behaviors that require further investigation .
Technology that tries to persuade people to use it more has become very powerful and smart. But sometimes it can be bad for us. A study was done on young people in China who use their phones a lot, and many of them said their phones make it hard to do well in school or work. Some design ideas used in these technologies might not be good for us in the long run. We need to keep studying this topic to understand it better.
Definitions
- Computer hardware development: The process of making computers faster, smaller, and more powerful.
- Persuasive Technology: Technology that tries to convince people to use it more often.
- Natural Language Processing: A type of technology that helps computers understand human language.
- Big Data: Very large amounts of information that can be analyzed by computers.
- Machine Learning algorithms: Programs that help computers learn from data and improve over time.
The Dark Side of Persuasive Technology: Examining the Impact on Young Smartphone Users
In recent years, computer hardware has become increasingly powerful and influential. This is due to the integration of cutting-edge technologies such as Natural Language Processing, Big Data, and Machine Learning algorithms with persuasive technology. However, this power brings with it a dark side that needs to be addressed urgently. One accusation is that persuasive technology makes smartphones more addictive for their users.
To examine the impact of persuasive technologies on young smartphone users aged 18 to 26 years old from Chinese universities, a study was conducted using questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The survey results showed that Toma Todo, Calendar; Zhihu, WeChat news subscription, Qidian online; Music apps, Games, Short video apps, Streaming service were among the top categories for usage among young smartphone users in China. Among 183 participants surveyed in this study 84.70% (n=155) spend over (or equal to) four hours per day on their smartphones and 44.26% (n=81) indicated that smartphones negatively affect their studies or professional life .
When asked about factors causing them to spend extended hours on their phones , phrases associated with emotions such as "bored", "stress", "relax", "fun", “happy”,"isolated" were used by interviewees . Ten interviewees evaluated that they could reduce screen time by 37% if they could avoid all persuasive functions while five out of eight interviewees reduced their screen time by 16.72% three weeks after the interviews by voluntarily turning off some persuasive functions on their smartphones .
This study provides empirical evidence that persuasive technologies increase users' screen time and contribute to addictive behaviors among young smartphone users . Some commonly used persuasive design principles could have negative long-term impacts on users which raises ethical problems for Human-computer interaction (HCI) designers as well as neglected rights of acknowledgement from users .
Limitations
This study had limitations due to its small sample size compared to the target group population size of 40 million . More questionnaires need to be distributed , and data collection methods need to be improved for more accurate screen times . Follow-up monitoring needs to be prolonged in order gain a deeper understanding of the long-term impacts of Persuasive Technology on users . Furthermore , there might be more negative effects besides addiction behaviors that require further investigation .
Conclusion
Persuasive technology has made computers more powerful than ever before but also carries an inherent risk when it comes down user addiction behavior caused by these technologies being integrated into our everyday lives without us even realizing it. This research paper provides empirical evidence showing how pervasive these technologies are becoming amongst young people who use smartphones regularly in China but also highlights some key areas where further research is needed such as increasing sample sizes and improving data collection methods so we can better understand how these technologies are impacting our lives both positively and negatively
With the development of computer hardware, computers with persuasion have become more powerful and influential than ever. The latest trends show that Persuasive Technology integrates with cutting-edge technologies, such as Natural Language Processing, Big Data, and Machine Learning algorithms. As persuasion is becoming increasingly intelligent and subtle, it is urgent to reflect on the dark sides of Persuasive Technology. The study aims to investigate one of Persuasive Technology's accusations, making smartphones more addictive to its users. The study uses questionnaires and in-depth interviews to examine the impact of persuasive technologies on young smartphone users. The participants of the study are 18 to 26 years old Chinese university students. Ten interviewees were sampled randomly from the survey results. Eight interviewees shared their smartphone screen time for three consecutive weeks after the interview. Among the 183 participants, 84.70% (n=155) spend over (or equal to) four hours per day on their smartphone, 44.26% (n=81) indicate that smartphones negatively affect their studies or professional life. Ten interviewees evaluated that they could reduce screen time by 37% if they could avoid all persuasive functions. Five out of eight interviewees reduced their screen time by 16.72% three weeks after the interviews by voluntarily turning off some persuasive functions on their smartphones. This study provides empirical evidence to argue that persuasive technologies increase users' screen time and contribute to the addictive behaviours of young smartphone users. Some commonly used persuasive design principles could have negative long term impacts on users. To sum up, the ethical problems that Human-computer interaction (HCI) designers face and users' neglected rights of acknowledgement were discussed.
