79 percent of smartphone owners check their device within 15 minutes of waking up every morning.
I'm in that group and I'm ashamed. It's not the device itself but the apps it has and the possibilities it unlocks: infinite.
Wait, but when did this happen? It certainly wasn't overnight but it wasn't like this 20 years ago either so, how did we end up hooked on our smartphones? It's been years in the making, slowly dragging us into an ever increasing spiral of addiction where we check for updates and notifications more than we'd like to.
Habit-forming technology is already here, and it is being used to mold our lives. The fact that we have greater access to the web through our various connected devices — smartphones and tablets, televisions, game consoles, and wearable technology — gives companies far greater ability to affect our behavior.
Are we all being manipulated and force-fed into this? Certainly not, but there's delicate systems in place that are responsible for our compulsive behavior and that makes it harder to escape. Should you fear these systems? No. You should understand them. As with everything, it can be used for good or bad purposes. If every time you open Instagram you end up feeling down and lazy because you see everyone sharing stories exercising then that's bad. But if you get into the habit of meditating or doing yoga because of an app that constantly reminds you to do so, then that's awesome!
This book is all about the Hook Model. You'll get an insight into how certain products and services are engineered to get you to consume more of them, and by doing so, you'll be more aware next time something tries to hook you.
And if you're an entrepreneur, or someone building your own products, you'll start to come up with all sort of different ideas on new things to implement into your product and probably learn a trick or two to get users to keep coming back.
Habits are defined as behaviors done with little or no conscious thought.
A must read for anyone making stuff.
Interested in reading "Hooked"? Click here to buy it through Book Depository using my affiliate link. They've got free worldwide delivery and it's how I buy all of the books I read, 100% recommended!
