It’s Time To Start Respecting The User
The user and their data is the world’s most valuable resource. Just as fossil fuels keep the modern age roaring along; users are the mechanism and the data they produce is the lifeblood of the digital age. But here’s the catch, much like our finite supply of fossil fuels on the planet, users and their attention aren’t being respected.
Despite the downsides of fossil fuels being front and center in the modern age — the thought of their shortcomings is not a new one. Edison championed the idea for renewable energy in the 1930s and the Scientific American even grappled with the idea of exhausting oil supplies all the way back in 1913. But, we all know where their lack of collective action got us: the brink of irreversible climate change. The impact of climate change — rising average temperatures, rising sea levels, and more extreme weather patterns — is also going to have a major impact on the economy in the coming decades. So, what does any of this have to do with respecting users?
Well, we predict that we’re in a similar situation with users. Yes, the population will continue growing which doesn’t exactly make humans a finite resource. But, attention is. Just like the internet, humans only have a limited bandwidth. Right now, we’re living in the dark age of distraction where apps and services are designed to capture as much attention from users as possible. Attention drives data and more data drives more attention — its an ouroboric hell for the user. Users are complaining about distraction, reduced productivity, and mental health issues from technology are on the rise. Companies are beginning to realize the dark side of their technologies by integrating screen time monitors and reports. Now is the time to rebel against the attention economy.
Let’s teach the internet to work for the user, or at least with the user, rather than making the user work for the internet. What if rather than being mined for data the user owned their data? If users aren’t being mined for their data the need to distract and draw attention wanes — which solves many of the issues listed above. This isn’t to say that data collection needs to stop, rather that it needs to be enhanced. By giving users free will and agency to directly communicate interest with their data we open the opportunity for large common goals emerge. In the future products and services can be built with users instead of for users.
In the future, users shouldn’t be the product. We have the unique opportunity to learn from history. Instead of pushing user attention to the limit like we’ve done with fossil fuels. The world is beginning to realize the value in renewable resources. Let’s do the same with users and their data, let’s respect the user.
