Admit it, the title of his post gave you a slight feeling of discomfort.

I’m pretty sure a bunch of folks just zipped right past it because of the word “ethics.”

I’ve been thinking about the ethics of persuasion lately. As a professional persuader this is obviously an important topic for work, but as a consumer of technology it’s also something that impacts me.

And you.

The real problem with ethical persuasion nowadays is the fact that ethics are no longer much of a consideration in our postmodern society. The very idea that I might think something is ethical or not runs counter to the culture of “whatever works for you.” By separating ourselves from any sense of consensus-based behavioural norms, even talking about ethics sounds quaint at best, or like imposing oppressive morality at worst. That’s probably why you felt a little blip with the topic.

So what? The problem is that this leaves us vulnerable to any unethical persuasion that tech companies hit us with all. If nothing is right or wrong, we are defenceless against bad actors and people who don’t have our best interest at heart.

Even if you don’t like “ethics,” it’s still okay to stand up for yourself and how you want to be treated.

Online, or IRL.