Captology

Not to be confused with Coptology.

Captology is the study of computers as persuasive technologies.[1] This area of inquiry explores the overlapping space between persuasion in general (influence, motivation, behavior change, etc.) and computing technology.[2] This includes the design, research, and program analysis of interactive computing products (such as the Web, desktop software, specialized devices, etc.) created for the purpose of changing people's attitudes or behaviors.[3]

B. J. Fogg in 1996 derived the term captology from an acronym: Computers As Persuasive Technologies. In 2003, he published the first book on captology, entitled Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do.[4]

Captology is not the same thing as Behavior Design, according to BJ Fogg who is the person who coined both terms and created the foundation for both areas.

  1. ^ "captology". Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
  2. ^ "Fiddling With Human Behavior". Wired. March 6, 2000.
  3. ^ Fogg, B J (May 1999). "Persuasive Technologies". Communications of the ACM. 42 (5). doi:10.1145/301353.301396. S2CID 6693180.
  4. ^ Ian Leslie, "The scientists who make apps addictive", 1843, The Economist, October/November 2016.