2020 ExcessiveUseofTechnologyCanTech

• (Turel & Ferguson, 2020) ⇒ Ofir Turel, and Christopher Ferguson. (2020). “Excessive Use of Technology: Can Tech Providers Be the Culprits?.” In: Communications of the ACM, 64(1).

Subject Headings: Excessive Technology Use, Attention Economy.

Cited By

• http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%222020%22+Excessive+Use+of+Technology%3A+Can+Tech+Providers+Be+the+Culprits%3F

Quotes

Abstract

Seeking to assess the possible responsibility of tech providers for excessive use patterns.

Introduction

The influx of hedonic online services (including video streaming, social media, video games) has created rather fierce competition for people's attention, in what is termed the “attention economy” — in which every minute of attention and engagement tech companies can "squeeze" out of users counts. To compete in this environment, tech companies, intentionally or unintentionally, have adapted practices that have capitalized on varying features of human decision making and brain physiology to cultivate automatic, and uninterrupted use.

There is a body of evidence—growing yet debated — suggesting that when some technologies are used excessively, the use can interfere with normal functioning, such as with sleep, physical activity, and school performance.12 What's more, populations such as children and adolescents may be susceptible to excessive use, although age related prevalence issues have not always been made clear. We say the evidence is debated because some studies suggest that excessive use may be related to prior mental illness rather than to the technology itself. Consequently, some scholarly groups have criticized the concept of "technology addiction."1 Therefore, we use here the term "excessive use," which reflects use patterns that are excessive in that they infringe on normal functioning of users.

The role of tech companies (mostly hedonic online service providers and app developers) in excessive use is an issue that merits further discussion and research. This issue is very timely, given the tendency to blame tech providers for many ills in our society (for example, violence and radicalization on social media and/or the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in job displacement and reduced human agency). Focusing on excessive use, as is, it is often assumed that it is the sole responsibility of users; they should have controlled their use. This is akin to a speeding driver, in which case if caught, most people will agree that it is purely his or her fault, and not the car manufacturer's fault for affording speeding. This simplistic one-sided view, however, has been losing ground in recent years. For example, the use of loot boxes in video games has been equated with gambling, which prompted debate about the need to regulate such tools. Similarly, a recent U.S. senate bill proposes social media providers should also take some responsibility for excessive use, and remove psychological mechanisms that reduce people's self-control over their use.10

In this Viewpoint, we seek to make first strides toward discussing the responsibility of tech providers for excessive use. Initiating this discussion is important, because it can serve as a basis for more informed use practices and interventions.

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   Almost certainly, tech companies attempt to develop ways in which participants remain engaged, although the degree to which such mechanisms are harmful remain hotly contested.

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Recommendations

One thing that is clear is there is a need for further research to clarify concepts related to excessive use of technology. First, distinguishing whether excessive use behaviors constitute a unique diagnosis or are better conceptualized as risk markers, symptoms or red flags of established mental health disorders would be welcome. Second, current conceptualizations of excessive use tend to rely on symptom profiles adapted from substance abuse. However, critiques of this method suggest it may be too easy to meet "addiction" criteria as applied to technology use (for example, most people will feel some discomfort/withdrawal when prevented from using their smartphones, but this "withdrawal" in non-comparable with the physical withdrawal people who quit substances feel). Research on symptom sensitivity and specificity is therefore needed. Third, it would be important to consider whether excessive use is distinct from overuse of non-tech behaviors such as shopping. If not, it may be of greater utility to consider an overarching behavioral overuse disorder category that could be applied to any behavior, rather than many microdiagnoses focused on specific behaviors.

Without this greater research clarity, it is unclear what ethical advice to give to scientists working with technology companies. We note that knowingly developing technology (for example, algorithms, AI) that would reasonably be expected to lead to excessive use among vulnerable individuals would certainly be unethical. However, we feel that blanket prohibitions against scientists working with technology companies, including related to non-pathological engagement, are not yet warranted. What is needed, as a first step, is much greater transparency and scrutiny of funding arrangements and potential conflicts of interest by computer and social scientists working with tech providers. Take for example the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which was a non-scrutinized collaboration between academics and industry. Hopefully with further research, we will have greater clarity on these ethical issues, and better insights on best academia-industry collaboration practices. In the meantime, technology companies can help with this by making their considerable anonymized user data available openly to scholars without restrictions regarding the favorability of scholarly findings for those technology companies. They should also meet our concerns with open ears and minds. Academics, for now, can simply employ an ethical mind-set when getting involved in projects that may support excessive use.

References

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	Author	volume	Date Value	title	type	journal	titleUrl	doi	note	year
2020 ExcessiveUseofTechnologyCanTech	Ofir Turel Christopher Ferguson			Excessive Use of Technology: Can Tech Providers Be the Culprits?