I have been reading Robert Haidt’s “The Anxious Generation”. This post is not a description of that book, but the book’s focus and content were the origin of my present topic. The book, which has topped the New York Times best-seller list for some weeks, focuses on the mental health damage of the way kids are raised in combination with the negative impact of social media. Haidt is particularly concerned about young girls and their susceptibility to the negative consequences of what becomes a damaging addiction to social media. While male and 75, I had an uneasy feeling Haidt could have been describing me and my preoccupation with a different online environment. Before I get to my personal insight, allow me to describe the characteristics Haidt argues drive the general problem that is the focus of his book.
Haidt proposes that the writings of B.J. Fogg have served as the bible guiding many social media entrepreneurs. I usually read the core literature associated with what I write, but Fogg’s book was priced at textbook levels and I decided I was very familiar with the central content (a different source). Fogg successful persuasion can be accomplished based on behavioral principles any college student who has taken the Introduction to Psychology course will recognize. His terminology is a little different. When I taught the Intro course, I described the process Fogg and Haidt emphasize as operant conditioning. A very simple version of the way operant conditioning changes behavior is captured in the sequence – stimulus – response – consequences. Behavior changes (response) are encouraged by positive consequences. When used to account for what seems an addiction to online social media in children, the response might be frequent checking of a social media account and the positive reinforcers (likes, comments, attention, etc.). Access to a phone (the stimulus) triggers the initial behavior generating the consequences.
The Fogg version is described in the following model.
Fogg uses a little different vocabulary. The external trigger is his term for stimulus and action is the behavior. Variable reinforcement is another concept from behavioral psychology that translates as a situation in which a behavior does not produce a consequence every time it is produced. This unpredictability increases the frequency of behavior. A common example is the way a slot machine works. A gambler would soon quit if previous experiences were always wins and now the machine stops paying out. You tend quit putting coins into a vending machine if the first attempt or maybe the second produces no soda or candy bar. If however, a slot machine generates wins now and then people keep feeding their coins.
Fogg and Haidt add one additional component to the model – investment. Social media often has another characteristic increasing holding power. The example of investments are everywhere online. Do you play that online game where you have to guess the spelling of a mystery word within so many tries? If you have a streak of days going, you have an investment that makes it very likely you will not miss a day. Do you take photos or use AI to create photos to embellish your posts? You are making an investment. Do you pay to add weapons or clothing (skins) in an online game? You are investing. When your identity becomes part of your participation in an activity, you are heavily invested. I would suggest making political comments on social media are a good example of being invested. Our political affiliations are part of our identities. Haidt argues that Instagram has such a powerful impact on young females (often negative) because the photo-heavy nature of the platforms triggers the role appearance has in the identity of young women.
Social media involves a switch from external triggers to internal triggers. Once you are involved, you don’t have to be sent a message that you have a new like or comment. You don’t have to see your phone sitting on your desk. Your thoughts lead you to get your phone out of your pocket or purse to check your accounts to see if anything new has shown up.
Haidt emphasizes the powerful impact of social media on the attention and mental health in children and adolescents. I saw a similarity in the application of the model and the arguments made to adults who write on blogs, Substack and Medium. I don’t think the negative impact holds in the same way because of the life experiences and brain maturity (frontal cortex and metacognition) of adults and draw the following parallels more out of amusement than concern. If there was one insight that triggered me to write this post, it was the recognition of identity in motivating behavior more so than the behavioral explanation. For those who write, writing for public consumption is part of personal identity. I think the behavioral impact on behavior is more powerful because of this self view.
Here is my attempt to apply the cycle of engagement (Haidt and Fogg) to writing:
1. Trigger
The cycle starts with a trigger that prompts users to take an action. Triggers can be:
- External triggers: Notifications, emails, messages, ads, or reminders that tell users to open an app or take action. For example, a push notification letting you know someone liked your post.
- Internal triggers: Emotions, thoughts, or desires that come from within, like boredom, curiosity, just wondering if there is something there. These feelings push users to check their phone or social media without an external prompt.
2. Action
After the trigger, the user performs an action. The action may be simple such as seeing if anyone has read your post or liked your content. There may be statistics or charts to check. The actions that are triggered can be more involved such as researching and writing another post.
3. Variable Reward
Once the action is taken, the user receives a reward, but to keep engagement high, the reward is often variable or unpredictable. This uncertainty makes the reward more powerful or resistant to extinction in behavioral terms.
- Social rewards: Users may get more or fewer likes, comments, or shares on their posts each time, keeping them hooked. In some writing platforms, there is financial compensation to check.
4. Investment
The final stage of the cycle is investment, where the user puts something of value back into the platform. This investment can be time, effort, data, or emotional input, and it increases the likelihood that the user will return to the platform. Examples include:
- Creating content: Posting a photo, video, or comment.
- Personalization: Customizing a profile or favoriting the work of others.
- Building relationships: Adding friends, replying to messages, or participating in communities.This investment helps users feel more connected to the platform because they’ve contributed, and it primes them for future triggers. As they invest more, they become more likely to engage again, as their investment increases the value of the platform to them
- Financial commitment: Payment of a fee to participate.
- Affirmation of identity: The content I generate and share demonstrates I am a writer.
5. Repeat
Once users have invested in the platform, they receive new triggers, starting the cycle all over again. Over time, this cycle builds a habit, with users increasingly relying on internal triggers, such as boredom or curiosity, to engage with the platform.
If you are a writer who contributes content online, you may see yourself in this description. With social media, such models are used to describe how participants are drawn into spending more and more time in such environments sometimes with negative emotional consequences. I will leave it to your own analysis to determine whether being drawn into a platform to which you contribute your writing impacts your emotional well-being.
Reference
Fogg, B.J. (2003). Persuasive technology: Using computers to change what we think and do (Interactive Technologies).
