How Does Technology Shape Behavior?
Thu, Feb 19
In the design of technology, Persuasive Design is a strategy used to influence human behavior through intentionally designed features. Today we'll talk about how this unfolds in practice. We'll also review a key idea from software engineering, Design Patterns, and discuss how design ideas translate into code.
We have two main in-class learning goals. By the end of lecture today you will:
- See how technology can be designed to influence behavior / choices.
- Understand how values are built into technology design.
The slides for today's lecture.
Read This:
Longtime academic critic of technology Langdon Winner asks Do Artifacts Have Politics?
Read Chapter 3 of technology ethicist Cennydd Bowles' textbook Future Ethics
Do This:
Writing Reflection 04
See the instructions posted on the assignment's page.
This writing reflection is due on 2/24 at 5pm.
This Week's Dialogue Group Meeting
Find at least one hour to meet with your group to discuss the prompt of the week: Pick a digital technology that you use or are interested in to analyze through dialogue. What are the key features of the chosen technology?
Schedule your group meeting for next week. The new prompt is: What activities and ways of thinking are encouraged and discouraged by the key features of your chosen technology? Answer this question by filtering it through a chosen set of virtue principles (these can be the themes of Catholic Social Teaching introduced in class).