Five Ways You're Being Manipulated Online

You’ve probably been persuaded to buy an extra item or two or even been persuaded into spending some extra time on social media than intended. Don’t worry you’re not alone, we’ve all been there.

We usually think that it’s our fault we wasted the whole day playing video games or comparing our lives to other people, well, it partially is but due to its hidden manipulative nature, we don’t think of the subtle techniques social media uses to get us hooked.

It might seem like a simple time-consuming non-addictive activity but the unfortunate truth is that it's a huge global opinion influencer and it definitely forms a psychological dependence.

The average adult spends nearly two hours on different social platforms while teens spend up to 9 hours a day.

Manipulation is a hidden influence that pushes you to do or act in a way that you wouldn't normally. This could sound like a conspiracy theory to you but let’s face it multi-national corporations spend big money on learning exactly how your brain works. They probably know more about the brain than some neurologists do, as ironic as this sounds. While ignorance is decreasing, absorbing information and using it to influence is increasing and like most things in life, all it takes to stay protected is to stay informed.

So here are 5 ways social media manipulates our lives:-

The fear of missing out is real

FOMO is defined as “a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent”.

You’ve probably heard the term the grass is greener on the other side, you likely think that you’re not enjoying your life enough or that others are enjoying it more than you are, well this is your superego talking, you might not understand exactly what that means but social media companies do

You have a voice in your head that is telling you’re not good enough or that you’re not meeting some expectation or standard for yourself, this is the superego and social media knows exactly how to make this voice scream at you.

Researches show that social media is linked to depression, anxiety, and loneliness. It has also been scientifically proven that people tend to respond more to the pain of loss than to the pleasure of gain.

Something to keep in mind is no one’s life is perfect, chances are they’re not happier than you and by just showing a brief moment of their lives doesn’t mean you don’t have brief moments of your life that are just as happy if viewed from the outside. So most likely you’re not missing out on anything really, the only thing you’re missing out on is your life by spending it on social media platforms.

The selective information technique

I am sure there has been a time in your life where you’ve seen an ad emphasizing on how great a product is, totally disregarding and hiding the fact that despite it solving a certain problem, it messes up with something else.

For instance, there has been a huge backlash against having sulfate in your shampoo, while shampoo advertisers emphasize how great sulfate is for your hair because it’s a very stronger cleanser, they hide the fact that sulfate can have too much of an effect on your scalp and hair, resulting in excess stripping away of naturally occurring proteins and oils.

Before purchasing, make sure you’ve seen all the options available and that what you are purchasing really meets YOUR needs.

Automated accounts –bots- are powerful

Have you ever had to check a box saying that you’re not a robot and asked yourself why? Apparently bots –automated- accounts exit and they can be very dangerous even a small number of them can enormously change public opinion.

The trick isn’t how many Twitter bots there are, but how many posts they make, thereby influencing what’s trending or what will be seen by a lot of people. If Russia could influence the US election through bots, what do you think companies can do with it?

The bottomless bowls

Have you ever been to a YouTube rabbit hole? This is another way online services use to keep you hooked. They offer you never-ending feeds. Especially with the Autoplay option on YouTube, you'll probably end up viewing many more videos than what you intended to. The same goes for Facebook, where no matter how much you scroll, it’s unlikely you will ever manage to reach the end of your feed. More of your time naturally means much more profit for them.

This technique has been adopted from basic psychology. It has been proven through a study that people eating soup from a bowl that was automatically and constantly refilled without their knowledge ate 73% more soup than the ones eating from regular bowls.

The “reward” technique

This technique is generally used to mold behaviors into habits. Not knowing when you're going to be rewarded with a notification, comment or alike is exactly the reason why you'll subconsciously use those online services more often always hoping in the back of your mind that the next time you use it is going to be the time you get rewarded. And instead of offering rewards on a regular basis, they're randomized.

Conclusion: Engaging with real people

I personally have experienced spending less time socializing online and more time socializing with real people and it made me feel much happier, that doesn’t mean being immune to the manipulation but it helps to be aware of its effects. It sounds like for a new year resolution avoiding psychological damage and having a more enjoyable time with friends and loved ones in person is a great plan.