Captology

= Captology is the study of computers as persuasive technologies. This includes the design, research, and analysis of interactive computing products created for the purpose of changing people’s attitudes or behaviors.

URL = http://captology.stanford.edu/index.html

Contextual Quote

Douglas Rushkoff (Team Human):

""There's an entire division at Stanford [University] called 'captology' … It's a division that teaches developers how to capture human beings in a piece of technology. They learn to take the algorithms from Las Vegas slot machines and port them into our news feeds," he explained.

"These are the folks that know how to go down into your brain stem and trigger your amygdala, by any means necessary."

And why is 'captology' such an integral part of social media? Rushkoff says it's because human beings have now become the commodities that drive the technological economy." (https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/technology-needs-to-optimize-human-flourishing-author-argues-1.5402307?)

More information

• Persuasive Technology Lab: to understand how computers can change what people think and do, an area called captology. To learn more about the Persuasive Technology Lab, visit captology.stanford.edu.