This chapter delves into how free social media platforms profit off users through data extraction and attention monetization, highlighting the lack of consumer awareness. It also discusses the paradoxical relationship between negative opinions of tech companies and continued usage, while exploring the importance of understanding oneself as a consumer.
Would you be able to tell the difference between a bargain bin red and a top drop? Or how about what separates a duck paté … from one made of dog food?
Perception is everything when it comes to marketing, and decades of neuroscience and psychology research have given businesses ever greater insights into how we can make decisions and how they can subtly shape our expectations so that yes – even dog food paté can become appealing.
But the ramifications of this power may be pushing companies into unethical territory.
First broadcast on 22 August 2021.