I Persuade, They Persuade, It Persuades!

Abstract

Persuasion changes behavior. Persuasive people encourage us to do things we might not otherwise do, such as buying a new coat, taking a trip, changing jobs, and so on. Artifacts can persuade too: marketing specialists know that slick ads, sexy slogans, colorful packaging, empathic messages, elegant and beautiful designs are persuasive – they sell products.

Visionaries predict that “mobile phones will soon become the most important platform for changing human behavior” (Fogg & Eckles, 2007, p.5). Phones that look attractive, feel comfortable, and are usable are one part of a success story. The other part of the story concerns the applications (i.e., apps) that run on the phones. Creative apps turn a mobile phone into a personal finance manager, inspiration for cooks, a music player, an exercise coach, a marketing device, a weather service for farmers, a guide for bird watchers, a spirit level for do-it-yourself enthusiasts, and much more. Apple’s iPhone App Store has led the way in ratcheting up expectations about the range and quality of apps that users want, and has engaged users in creating them. Other phone developers are following Apple’s example.

Technology-mediated social participation applications are popular and increasing becoming accessible via cell phones and other mobile devices. Technology-mediated social participation is generated when social networking tools (e.g., Facebook), blogs and microblogs (e.g., Twitter), user-generated content sites (e.g., YouTube, Flicker), discussion groups, problem reporting, recommendation systems, and other social media are applied to national priorities throughout the world, such as health, energy, education, disaster response, environmental protection, business innovation, cultural heritage, community safety, as well as social friendship and family networks. Fire, earthquake, storm, fraud, or crime reporting sites provide information to civic authorities. AmberAlert has more than 7 million users who help with information on child abductions, and SERVE.GOV enables citizens to volunteer for national parks, museums and other institutions. Compelling possibilities for healthcare (e.g., PatientsLikeMe), wellness, smoking cessation, and obesity reduction are also attracting attention. These early attempts hint at the vast potential for technology-mediated social participation, but substantial research is needed to persuade scaling up, raising motivation, controlling malicious attacks, limiting misguided rumors, and protecting privacy (http://iparticipate.wikispaces.com). 



Clearly stated research challenges should have three key elements: (1) close linkage to compelling national and international priorities  (2) scientific foundation based on established theories and well-defined research questions (e.g., privacy, reciprocity, trust, motivation, recognition, etc.), and (3) research challenges (e.g., security, privacy protection, scalability, visualization, end-user development, distributed data handling for massive user-generated content, network analysis of community evolution, cross network comparison, etc.).  By incorporating this research wisdom in designs that impact the 5 billion-plus mobile phone users throughout the world (Economist, 2010), people’s lives and society could be transformed for the better. Contributing to this transformation is a goal for participants attending Persuasive 2010.

In this talk I will draw on example applications (e.g., Encyclopedia of Life, Twitter, Recovery.gov, PatientsLikeMe, etc.) and research reports (summarized in Preece & Shneiderman, 2009, and else where) that suggest key principles for designing and managing technology mediated social participation. I will discuss how individuals, groups and communities, applications and devices persuade people to contribute, collaborate and lead using social technologies (i.e., how I/you persuade, how they persuade, and how it persuades).