You’re going to have to gaslight this man.
We get played by websites every day, whether
we consciously realize it or not. There are whole books and consulting firms and sketchy webinars devoted to the art of “dark patterns”: interfaces crafted to trick us into spending money or clicking things we otherwise wouldn’t.
But this week I read about two such tricks, or nudges, that struck me as … kind of pleasant. First, per Sarah Frier on Recode Decode, Instagram’s algorithm was once designed to show you photos that inspired you to post more yourself. Second, according to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon has tweaked its own design to discourage needless shopping in the pandemic.
This isn’t exactly altruistic, of course. Amazon wants you to buy less stuff until it can efficiently sell you more stuff again. Instagram’s priorities also changed years ago, not long after Facebook bought it. Still, as we spend more and more (and more!!) time on our screens, I’m paying far more attention to what Sidney Fussell once called the web’s “endless, invisible persuasion tactics.” They seem even more weighted, and weighty, during the current crisis.
Links you can use
Recommended: We’re very into HouseParty in my house right now. (The game selection’s pretty good!) I’m also trying out this new site that scans for grocery pick-up slots near you.
Worth streaming: long, brooding walks with strangers on YouTube; cancelled plays and musicals; stand-up comedy from the likes of John Mulaney and Mike Birbiglia.
Have a suggestion of your own? Plz hit “reply” to email me. I will, of course, credit you next week.
If you read anything this weekend
The social media “shame machine” is in overdrive right now. We’re not epidemiologists, BUT … we all have opinions on whether or not you should leave your house. I’m less convinced that this policing comes from misdirected rage, per se. But yeah, we’ve all seen the swarm descend on some unsuspecting Facebook friend who’s hiking in a plague. [Buzzfeed]
How government and big tech have teamed up to fight coronavirus. Data from Facebook, Google, Apple and other firms is fueling contact tracing, social distancing and other strategies. This is the most comprehensive look I’ve seen on where that data may fall short or risk privacy. [Washington Post]
One consequence of Covid-19: further “Amazonification.” Suffice to say this is not the long-term, post-pandemic market change labor activists wanted. But Amazon is hiring tons of people, and tons of people are shopping online. That may shift us closer toward precarious gig work over time. [OneZero]
No, the children did not lean Slytherin. We have all seen this outrageous AITA, yes, about the Hogwarts-themed wedding reception? It is fake, of course. (The best ones always are!) But the woman behind it seems kind of awesome. [Mel]
Sorry I didn’t forward your chain recipe email. I am apparently the pitiable type of person who “views interactions with strangers with wariness.” [Eater]
Postscripts
Instagram’s #self-healers. Animal Crossing’s turnip traders. TikTok’s delightful British grandpas. A running list of random things we’ve now moved online: doulas, powwows, StoryCorps, board games, strip clubs. The recession comes for YouTubers and influencers alike. My new pandemic hobby is learning Morse code. This week, in surprisingly cool Zoom shit: SNL, Thao, llamas & goats.
Further proof that we’re returning to a prior internet. (Will not say it’s a better or purer one yet.) An immortal advice column, if ever I read one: “You’re going to have to gaslight this man.” A site that name the world’s 16 million colors. The languages that still aren’t online. This is poor branding, I’m sure, but this newsletter sounds much better than mine! It’s time to delete your delivery apps. Why does the right dominate YouTube? Last but not least, how Medium became both the best and worst place for Covid news.
That’s it for now. Stay safe & sane! And as always, if you liked this, please forward to a friend. If you didn’t, please forward to an enemy.
— Caitlin