So today I came across this video The Man Who Lied to His Laptop by Clifford Nass. It gave me some wonderful insights.

In th video Nass talks about two things (of course with experimental proofs):

  1. How people treat computers as people
  2. How to learn about people using computers

The first part was not new to me but the second part hit me with a surprise. Till now I always used to project how things happen in our world to take a decision of digital world i.e. my digital worls is inspired by my world. But we can also do the opposite. As computers are treated as people after all. So how people treat computers can teach us how people treat people. As a result

We can replace computers with people and vice-versa in understanding anything

Also computers can be great social confederates. As they have all the properties of confederates:

  1. Evokes wide social responses
  2. Does the same thing 24/7
  3. Not influenced byb their own subconscious responses
  4. Can avoid user’s unconscious biases

Nass did some social experiments using computers:

Flattery

Results:

  1. Praise frequently
  2. Modesty is friendly but dumb
  3. Criticism is unfriendly but smart

This proves the criticism sandwich (Big praise -> Big Criticism -> Little Praise) is wrong. It should be like:

  1. Quick intro
  2. Focused and limited criticism
  3. Big praise

Criticism increases the memory of the moment despite what follows the moment before and after.

Sadness

Results:

  1. Match a person’s emotion whenever possible
  2. Don’t try to change people’s emotion dramatically
  3. Don’t label negative emotion
  4. Frustration need more than sympathy

Team Building

Results:

  1. Identification: give yourself a name and to should be used by the team only
  2. Labelisation
  3. Have them believe that you care about them

References

  1. The Man Who Lied to His Laptop