“Find at least one news article that relates to demographics or psychographics and comment on it (100 words) make sure that you include the article and reference. (upload everything to your blog).”
Headline: How ethical is it for advertisers to target your mood? Psychographics – The Guardian 5th May 2019.
I couldn’t find many articles on psychographics in the UK press but eventually came across this article from The Guardian. Although it is more than six years old, it continues to feel relevant and I have focused on the points raised towards the end of the article about ‘Ring’ doorbells. The key points in the article are that:
- Ring’s fear-driven marketing feeds off anxiety of crime.
- These devices can produce a data-driven “news” streams but;
- While there is potential for beneficial services but also risk expanding surveillance, manipulation, and commercial exploitation.
Comment:
Social media UX exploits both demographics and psychographics to maximize user engagement and profit. The channels segment users by age, location, and behavior (demographics), then add emotional targeting through mood detection and context-aware advertising (psychographics).
Like Ring’s fear-based “doorbell newsroom,” social media algorithms provide anxiety-inducing content that keeps users scrolling while including individually targeted ads. The UX design deliberately places emotionally vulnerable users alongside manipulative messages about, for example, insurance adverts during next to news about burglary and theft. This creates an ethically questionable link for consumers which links the peace of mind offered by a Ring doorbell set against the fear a a break in at home. Buying a doorbell can reduce this anxiety for the householder while allowing Ring to justify collecting data that people would normally be reluctant to share.
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