“THIS book is an attempt to explore a strange and rather exotic new area of American life. It is about the large-scale efforts being made, often with impressive success, to channel our unthinking habits, our purchasing decisions, and our thought processes.”
So begins , Vance Packard’s bestselling 1957 exposé of how advertisers use “motivational research” to tap into consumers’ psyches. A like-minded tract today might begin much the same way – but target Silicon Valley’s algorithms (see “Pocket decider: How your phone shapes your choices“) rather than Madison Avenue’s ads.
Such books exist, but suggests that they may struggle to effect change. His revelations caused a stir, but consumers ultimately proved unbothered – anti-consumerism types might say complacent – about wiles such as buyer polls and focus groups.
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Activists now seek to unmask online “hidden persuaders” with high-tech tools: that reveal how your web surfing is tracked, for example. Whether these will prove more persuasive than The Hidden Persuaders remains to be seen.
