Unlocking the Power of the Billion Dollar Mind: A Beginners Guide to Stimuli
Rachel didn't want her real name out there. She's in her mid-twenties and addicted to something, but still goes to Stanford in Palo Alto. She seems all put together like a typical student at a fancy school, but she can't resist her habit. It's like she's hooked and can't stop.
Rachel loves Instagram! This app lets you share photos with your friends and followers. It's so popular that Facebook bought it for $1 billion! Rachel is just one of 40 million people who use Instagram every day. This shows how important and valuable technology that keeps us returning for more can be. The people who made Instagram knew how to make it addictive, so now everyone can't stop using it. It's like a game that you play without even realizing it!
Rachel is obsessed with taking pictures. She doesn't even realize how much she loves it. "It's just a fun hobby," she says, adding another cool photo to her collection. Her pictures have a cool retro vibe, like something from the 70s. "I don't think I have a problem or anything. I just love snapping pics whenever I see something awesome. I feel like I have to capture the moment before it's too late."
Mental triggers that spark in your head
When Rachel scrolled through Instagram, her brain reacted in a certain way. It made her act differently because she kept seeing the same things over and over again on the app. This made her brain link what she saw on Instagram to what she did in real life.
When you like something or have a strong feeling about it, it can create an "internal trigger." These triggers are different from things like a phone ringing or an ad telling you to click on it. You can't see, touch, or hear internal triggers, they just pop up in your mind automatically. Making internal triggers is like hitting the jackpot in the world of consumer technology.
When we're bored, we hop on Twitter. When we're feeling lonely, we scroll through Facebook. Our emotions trigger us to use these apps. But how does Instagram make us want to keep coming back for more? Well, it turns out there's a process to make us feel that way:
1) Instruct and gain with external cues
Instagram was all over Twitter and Facebook, flooding everyone's feeds with cool old-timey pictures. Each picture had a bunch of links that took you back to Instagram. These links not only got more people to sign up but also taught them how to use the app. Instagram did a great job using these links to show people what their app is all about.
Instagram's catchy slogan, "Share photos quickly and beautifully," really showed what the app was all about. It helped them get tons of new users. But just getting lots of people to sign up wasn't the end goal. With so many things competing for our attention online, Instagram needs people to use the app every day.
2) Cultivate ambition
Instagram wanted to make sure people kept using their app, so they used a design trick called hooks. They made it super easy for you to start using the app and keep using it without even realizing it. You just click a few buttons, take a picture and boom - you're hooked! Every time you share a photo, you get a little reward that makes you want to keep using the app. Before you know it, you're using Instagram all the time and it's changing the way you think and act.
3) Fix the internal influences.
At last, people get into a routine of using Instagram. They don't need reminders anymore because they just feel like using them whenever they want. For example, Rachel uses it whenever she sees something she thinks is cool. She's looked at the "popular" section of the app so many times that she knows what kind of stuff is considered cool. Her friends also give her feedback by leaving comments and likes on her posts. Now, she's always on the lookout for pictures that match the Instagram vibe. It's like a never-ending game of searching for cool moments to capture.
Instagram is like a treasure chest of feelings and ideas for lots of people, like Rachel. It's like a digital diary full of beautiful pictures. Instagram is so good at getting people hooked that once they start using it, they can't stop. Other apps just can't compete! Every photo posted on Instagram makes users love it even more, and it's become a must-have for them, and even for Facebook too.
