Behavioral economics on our side
In the future, companies will help us use the techniques of behavioral economics to manipulate ourselves…and we will pay them to do so for us, instead of for commercial giants or governments.
In this the age of concern over privacy invasion and surveillance and manipulation, people will start to realize that there is no way to avoid being manipulated by other people, governments, marketers and the like. The ultimate solution is for people to become both cynical and empowered by using their data for themselves — which offers a business opportunity for companies that can help them do so, using techniques from behavioral economics. Users will look for services that help them to manipulate themselves — that is, to empower their own long-term selves (thoughtful, purposeful, health-conscious, etc.) to guide and constrain their short-term selves (greedy, lazy, short-sighted). These are tools that allow people to order items in advance (research by Deborah Estrin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Estrin among others shows that people pick healthier or more intellectual choices when they are buying for the future than for the moment). They will be able to set reminders/triggers to guide their own short-term behavior, monitor their own online activity and buying patterns.
You can use your data on your own behalf: Your phone will turn off notifications when it senses you are in the company of friends or family; your food from AmaWalmart will be healthy; your devices will shut down at 10 pm. In essence, you will be paying upfront — gladly — for long-term happiness.
You could say there’s some resemblance here to tithing in church… and indeed, it seems that one way or another we as a species have evolved to want to believe in the future. As a culture, we adapted to the market economy, but now we are learning again what gives us deep, innate satisfaction — and it is not the short-term profits of the market economy.
