Over the past few weeks, I’ve written about the various ways that apps keep us screen captured, and the business models that tech companies employ to make money. This week, I’d like to spend a bit of time connecting the dots. I want to talk about how business models directly impact the way apps are designed. I want to explore why some companies prioritize certain goals, and how those priorities affect us, our families—and most importantly our kids.
In a recent newsletter, I outlined the dubious features that apps use to keep us engaged, like endless feeds, arbitrary “streaks,” rabbit holes, etc. Once you become familiar with these manipulative design tactics, they’re pretty easy to spot. They may be designed slightly differently from app to app, but these features usually have one thing in common: they’re there to boost engagement, and in turn, to support an ad-driven business model.
There are a few common ways that tech companies choose to make money. Some charge a one-time fee when you download the app. Some charge you for a recurring monthly or yearly subscription. Some offer the option to make in-app purchases in an otherwise-free app. Some show you targeted ads. Depending on what revenue stream a company is prioritizing, they will need you, the user, to behave in a certain way so they can maximize their profits.
When a company makes money from subscriptions or in-app purchases, they will need you to love the app so much that you’re willing to pay real, hard-earned dollars for a subscription or for access to special features. These companies need to make their app useful, delightful and easy to use—because they want you to keep paying good money to use it. The users are the customer. Because you, as a user, are ultimately the one keeping the lights on, they’re incentivized to make design decisions to keep you happy. The happier you are, the likelier you are to stick around.
On the other hand, when a company makes money from showing you targeted ads, they don’t need you to bust out your credit card, they just need you to spend as much time in their app as possible. The more time you spend in-app, the more opportunities they have to show you ads. And the more ads they show you, the more money they make from advertisers. Ad-driven business models incentivize companies to design products that keep you engaged. And engagement is engagement—whether you’re using the app because you love it or because it’s designed to encourage compulsive behavior. With this business model, the user is not the customer. The advertiser is the one keeping the lights on and they pony up each time a user sees their ad.
Why do you think your news feed on Facebook never ends? It’s not because there is so much high-quality content that you absolutely need in your life; it’s because reaching the end of your newsfeed would be a natural stopping cue, and a reason for you to close the app. This seemingly harmless feature isn’t there because it serves you, the user. It’s there because it keeps you scrolling ad infinitum.
And, we don’t need to look very hard to see examples of companies going to alarming lengths to grab and keep our attention. YouTube’s algorithm, in an attempt to maximize engagement, has taken people down extremist rabbit holes because the outrageous, inflammatory, polarizing content performs better than the balanced, benign or pleasant. Facebook has let misinformation proliferate because clamping down would hurt its metrics. In an effort to serve their bottom line, these companies have built products and features with the expressed purpose of keeping us hooked.
As a dad, I want to give my kids the best life I possibly can. I want them to grow up happy and healthy, and I want them to have access to all the incredible things that technology can offer. But I also recognize that some technology is deliberately designed to be habit-forming. I want to protect them from that until they’re old enough to understand how it works and navigate it safely. For now, that means avoiding most tech products that prioritize advertisers over users whenever possible.
A deeper dive
Here are a few helpful resources in case you want to really dig into today's topic:
The Washington Post just launched a new series called “We the Users.” It’s an interesting look at how technology has often failed us, and what can be done to make it better. Personally, I’m excited to see the momentum building for more transparency and accountability in the tech industry—which is especially important in order to protect the youngest users, our children.
And from the same series, here is a look at how suggested content on Instagram can serve up disturbing images in an effort to boost engagement. A tech columnist created an account to share photos of his newborn child, and not long after, his feed began showing him upsetting pictures of suffering children.
TL;DR
Too long; didn't read. It shouldn't be a full-time job to keep up on industry news, so here is a mercifully quick summary of some other notable developments:
As the Guardian reports, “YouTube is showing videos that promote skin-bleaching, weight loss, drug culture and firearms to children as young as two.” This isn’t the first time that YouTube Kids has included questionable content, and it likely won’t be the last. That’s because adult tech platforms do not retrofit well for kids. While YouTube Kids is definitely a safer option than full-blown YouTube, apps that are designed to prioritize engagement just aren’t designed from the ground up for safety. That’s really what kids need when they start using tech.
There’s a new photo-sharing social app called BeReal, and according to the New York Times, it’s mundane yet fun. At least for now. This review here describes how the new app works, but cautions that “BeReal is absolutely not an anti-social-media project—it’s a commercial social photo-sharing app that is attempting to gain a critical mass of users within a largely familiar paradigm. Most apps expect users to produce revenue eventually, through advertising, commerce and other forms of engagement.”
And lastly
Here are a few more pieces of original writing from me and my team—just in case you're keen for more:
Keeping kids safe online can feel overwhelming. It’s tough to know where to begin, but here are five easy steps you can take to help protect your family!
A big part of online safety is privacy—but it’s not always straightforward to know what data a tech company is collecting and how they might be using it. My team put together this quick guide to help explain what to look for in a privacy policy.
Okay, that's it from me until next time. If you enjoyed this newsletter, and know of another parent who would as well, please feel free to forward it along.