Persuasive Computing
The term persuasive computing or computer conviction denotes a paradigm in which computer technologies are given the role of influencing the judgment and decision-making behavior of people.
On the one hand, persuasive computing inevitably occurs as a passive side effect of the use of computer technologies. Which tool is available to a person has an influence on what he wants to produce. On the other hand, persuasive computing is actively used as a persuasive tool. In this case, computer technologies influence the formation of opinions and wills and the actions that result from them.
Examples
- Once a person has got used to the operating system of a certain user interface provided by the computer , he will want to find similar operating systems in other places and often prefer it to other operating systems even if the alternative operating system would be more effective or come closer to his natural behavior, i.e. him would require less adaptation to the computer.
- Computer technologies make it easier to tailor advertising to a more individualized level , with which a person's consumer behavior can be influenced more precisely.
- The specific method according to which a search engine indexes the world knowledge represented by the WWW has an influence on which knowledge the person using it receives with which priority, and thus on his opinion-forming and action competence.
- The selection of which sections of the world are recorded by the WWW and in what intensity already influences people; for example, for what and how much he uses this medium.
- Computer technologies make it possible to create amounts of data that human beings could not manage, and they make it possible to query links between the data to an extent that the human brain can no longer do. For example, a pharmacist can find out whether any harmful interactions are to be expected between the drugs prescribed for a patient .
relevance
A critical ethical consideration of persuasive computing is necessary, insofar as the acting person is no longer able to independently assess the correctness of an instruction proposed by the computer. The problem is the transition from when and via which mechanisms the computer becomes independent and becomes the ruler over people. This aspect is usually addressed when using persuasive computing as a catchphrase.