Monday, June 28, 2004
Virtual Rejection
Being rejected by a computer is just as hurtful, possibly more so, than being rejected by a person. Players invited to play a game of internet catch were felt just as rejected when they thought they were being ignored by a pre-programmed computer compared to being rejected by other players.
I think is particularly relevant to the kind of agent-centred computer we're moving towards, with distributed services available over different devices. What happens if your 'find me a date' agent doesn't return any matches for a week? You might get a bit fed up and try a different one. There are easy ways to re-assure people and let them know they're 'still in the game', even if nothing is going on. Mobile service providers take note: if people feel rejected they won't like the service, and are more likely to shop around.
Ref: Zadro, L., Williams, K.D. & Richardson, R. (2004). How low can you go? Ostracism by a computer is sufficient to lower self-reported levels of belonging, control,
self-esteem, and meaningful existence. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 40,
560-567.
Being rejected by a computer is just as hurtful, possibly more so, than being rejected by a person. Players invited to play a game of internet catch were felt just as rejected when they thought they were being ignored by a pre-programmed computer compared to being rejected by other players.
I think is particularly relevant to the kind of agent-centred computer we're moving towards, with distributed services available over different devices. What happens if your 'find me a date' agent doesn't return any matches for a week? You might get a bit fed up and try a different one. There are easy ways to re-assure people and let them know they're 'still in the game', even if nothing is going on. Mobile service providers take note: if people feel rejected they won't like the service, and are more likely to shop around.
Ref: Zadro, L., Williams, K.D. & Richardson, R. (2004). How low can you go? Ostracism by a computer is sufficient to lower self-reported levels of belonging, control,
self-esteem, and meaningful existence. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 40,
560-567.
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(c) 2003-2005 Russell Beale
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