If User Inyerface intended to irritate, it worked. Not only did I click on the NO button three times, but I opened the game three times and clicked on the NO button three times each time I opened the game to make sure I was not trapped in a digital immigrant vortex of stupidity due to my lack of online gaming experience. As Harris (2017) highlighted, outrage is one of the methods for gaining attention (4:45). I am sharing my outrage by completing this assignment!
“Good content marketing makes a person stop, read, think, and behave differently.” Joe Pulizzi
As a storyteller and content marketer, I understand all too well how to use words, images, and stories to manipulate my target audience. I also know that content geared toward too wide of a target audience runs the risk of diluting your message, making it hard for readers to engage. Conversely, you can alienate many potential customers if the audience is too niche or the content you share is deemed a nuisance.
Harris (2017) notes that all we have is our attention and time (13:00). Social media may provide individuals with a platform that overcomes barriers of distance and time, allowing them to connect and reconnect with others and thereby expand and strengthen their in-person networks and interactions (Roeder, January 6, 2020). However, how people use social media may impact their mental health and well-being (Roeder, January 6, 2020). When it comes to the need for brands or businesses working to seek the attention of others, this may become more problematic than we think. According to CADDAC, approximately 1.8 million Canadians or 1 of every 21 people in the country, have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (About ADHD, n.d.). In the race for attention, the ability to entice people to watch a video, click on a link, or like and share a post requires excellent copy and even better mechanisms to keep the attention of those who struggle to focus. Using autoplay for videos is one great way to keep people engaged once they have been enticed.
That may be why I clicked the NO button three times and relaunched the site three times. I didn’t want to be left out of the experience my classmates had. As noted, I also assumed that I was at fault for the inability to find the form that I was to fill in as quickly as possible. As Brignull (November 1, 2011) states, subtlety is our friend. Is the intent of User Inyerface then to deceive us by promising a game but instead collecting data on where we clicked and how many times we tried to engage with it?
To quote Stephen King (2010), “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, shame on both of us.”
I guess I was fooled three times…
References:
About ADHD. (n.d.). CADDAC. Retrieved March 19, 2023, from https://caddac.ca/about-adhd/#:~:text=Attention%20Deficit%20Hyperactivity%20Disorder%20(ADHD,the%20country%20has%20the%20disorder.
Brignull, H. (2011). Dark patterns: Deception vs. honesty in UI design. A List Apart, 338.
Harris, T. (2017). How a handful of tech companies control billions of minds every day. [Video]. TED.
King, S. (2010). On writing: A memoir of the craft. Scribner.
Roeder, A. (January 6, 2020). Social media use can be positive for mental health and well-being. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Retrieved March 19, 2023, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/social-media-positive-mental-health/#:~:text=Social%20media%20may%20provide%20individuals,in%2Dperson%20networks%20and%20interactions.