Tag Archives: @nireyal

Like we need more crack for computer users.

Nir Eyal has an interesting post out today called “The Billion Dollar Mind Trick: An Intro to Triggers.” Watch out you fans of Instagram. Red flags all around.

“We check Twitter when we feel boredom. We pull up Facebook when we’re lonesome. The impulse to use these services is cued by emotions. But how does an app like Instagram create internal triggers in…millions of other users? Turns out there is a stepwise approach to create internal triggers:”

Uh-oh. “Stepwise” sounds well thought out. “Approach” seems savvy and business-like. And here’s the secret formula that Colonel Sanders and the Rice Krispies crew have been concocting while you snap, chat and post:

1 — EDUCATE AND ACQUIRE WITH EXTERNAL TRIGGERS

2— CREATE DESIRE

3 — AFFIX THE INTERNAL TRIGGERS

Yep. Those guys took a page right out of the “Welcome to My Neighbourhood: Let Me Introduce You to My Friends Mary Jane, China White & Charlie” playbook.

I’m not sure how many more apps and online services we need to fully destroy our brains and take away from free time that could otherwise be used to do more wholesome things like bake bread or play darts.

All I know is that Jonathan Franzen was onto something when he bemoaned young writers trying to make a go of it in this day and age, saying that he feels sorry for the lot of us because how on earth are we supposed to write creatively when we’re supposed (i.e. expected) to be online most of the time and building our brand.

Oh, Mr. Franzen, if you only knew…