On June 28, Online Dialogue together with the Netherlands Institute of Psychologists (NIP) the first Internet and Consumer Psychology seminar. Nine speakers, a room full of psychologists and one topic on the agenda: to what extent do online behavioral influence and ethics go hand in hand?

Here are the slides of the presentations at the Internet & Consumer Psychology seminar

When does a push become a push?

The assembled peers will be the first to be thoroughly updated by the speakers on effective and new possibilities of influencing behavior. As a psychologist, nowadays there is more than ever to know about (online) behavior and how we can make more accurate predictions about this behavior. Especially the rise of the Internet, where everything can be measured, is a ‘global Valhalla’ for the psychologist, according to Bart Schutz. It is estimated that some 100 million people in the Netherlands are in online tests every month; the sample is larger than ever before. Knowledge about human behavior is growing exponentially. Studies of unconscious choices are also being extensively researched. Companies like Braingineers and NeuroLabs conduct many experiments every day to map the unconscious emotions of humans. The black box that is our brain is starting to become a little clearer and clearer with all these new insights.

How desirable is influence?

While we are in the midst of learning how to most effectively influence behavior, the question also arises as to what responsibility as psychologists we have in this and what ethics can teach us in this regard.

Influencing happens everywhere and all the time. From advertisements on the Internet and TV to billboards hanging outside a store. The use of scents, colors, music, visibility, exclusivity, ‘what our friends tell us,’ bonus items and discount packages, ... We are always being influenced. But when does a ‘Push’ toward desirable behavior become a ‘Push’ toward antisocial behavior? Where is the line between commercial and public interest?

Companies deploy knowledge of human behavior and related influence tactics primarily for the purpose of separating people from money, or achieving additional sales and growth.

To what extent does behavioral influence cross boundaries?

James Williams, professor at Oxford and advisor to Google, researches this on a daily basis. He observes that we live in a world of abundant information, which, moreover, is always accessible. It is therefore critical for providers of information to get as much ‘attention’ as possible for the information your provider provides. And that translates into business objectives such as growth in number of ‘clicks’ or ‘Time Spent on Page.

James Williams argues that these quantitative goals are at odds with user needs. Human beings intrinsically need more “Time Well Spent”: time with friends, family, time for a hobby, time for ...

By redirecting the KPI from ‘Time Spent’ to ‘Time Well Spent’, he expects there is a basis for a lasting customer relationship. When someone feels that his/her time is well spent, that person will keep coming back. Influencer techniques, then, should no longer focus purely on unabashed selling, but on making a valuable contribution to the consumer's life.

In search of balance

In practice, how can we ensure that “Time Well Spent” becomes more recognizable and discussable?

Last year, ethics were high on the agenda at Online Dialogue. Not only was a code of ethics established, but we also came to the conclusion that companies that increasingly communicate online have less visibility into the effect of the message they send. This causes “Time Well Spent” to quickly move into the background.

To what extent do online behavioral influencing and ethics go hand in hand? Somehow it feels like these two topics intersect, but on the other hand, they also seem like they couldn't exist without each other.

We believe that a fundamental condition on a proper balance between commercial and public interest seems to lie in actively examining the actual consequences of behavioral influence and weighing these consequences against the concept of “Time Well Spent.”.

We look forward to receiving your responses.