The UOC at the Barcelona Science Festival: "Persuasive technology and freedom"

Manuel Armayones, researcher in the Behavior Design Lab at PSiNET, a research group attached to the eHealth Center, and member of the UOC's Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, will be taking part in the Barcelona Science Festival organized by Barcelona City Council at 5.15 p.m. on 13 June. The behavioural design expert will be giving a TED microtalk entitled "Does persuasive technology limit our freedom?"

Does persuasive technology limit our freedom?

Parents look on as their sons and daughters, small children and adolescents, spend hour after hour in front of a screen, playing games online or interacting on social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok. Perhaps even they cannot resist checking their smartphones or bingeing on another Netflix series. What is happening here? And why is it so hard to change?

According to Armayones, expert in the design and impact of these technologies and author of the book El efecto smartphone: conectarse con sentido, the answer to all these questions lies in persuasive technology. "These apps are designed with psychological techniques that trap us into spending a great deal of time glued to our screens," he explains. Armayones will also discuss how we can harness persuasive technology to take care of our health.

The Science Festival takes place on Sunday 13 June and Armayones will give his talk during the TED microtalks section, which starts at 5.15 p.m. and ends at 6.00 p.m. (CEST).