Evil by design

How we are being persuaded by digital media,  is this also a question present in current day science?

Could be an interesting study given the applicability of the main tenets of interaction design software.

  • Pride. Social proof to position results in line with peer reviewer.
  • Sloth. Build a funding path of least resistance that leads scientists only do what they should do.
  • Gluttony. Escalate students’ commitment and use loss aversion to keep them there.
  • Anger. Understand the power of metaphysical arguments and peer review anonymity.
  • Envy. Create a culture of status around papers and feed aspirational desires.
  • Lust. Turn desire into commitment by using emotion to defeat rational behavior.
  • Greed. Keep scientists engaged by reinforcing the desired behavior.

Already in 2014 Nature News found

Giant academic social networks have taken off to a degree that no one expected even a few years ago. A Nature survey explores why.

Twitter+Facebook+LinkedIn as non scientific, but also ResearchGate + Academia.edu work as digitally interaction steering. Interestingly, the humanities, arts and social sciences don’t need ResearchGate, understanding much better the “token economies” mechanism.