Persuasive Technology

Both positive and negative reactions to captology have merit. Perhaps

more than anyone else, I’ve investigated both the potential and the pitfalls of

persuasive technology. Although I don’t find captology immoral, I acknowledge

that persuasive technology can be used in unethical ways in an attempt to

change people’s attitudes and behaviors. For example, an online game could be

used to persuade children to give up personal information.

In this book I focus primarily on the positive, ethical applications of persua

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sive technology. But I also highlight the pitfalls, and I explore the ethics of such

technology in Chapter 9.

Advantage over Traditional Media: Interactivity

Traditional media, from bumper stickers to radio spots, from print ads to tele-

vision ...