6. BJ Fogg & colleagues, "Facebook applications, mass persuasion, & world peace"

PARC Forum
Thursday, January 24, 4:00 – 5:00 P.M.
George E. Pake Auditorium, Palo Alto Research Center

TITLE: "Facebook applications, mass persuasion, & world peace"

SPEAKER: BJ Fogg & colleagues, Persuasive Technology Lab, Stanford University

ABSTRACT: Just a few months ago, a new form of persuasion was born. In response, I created the “Facebook Class” for Stanford, and a talented team joined me. In the weeks that followed, our students used this new power -- what I call “Mass Interpersonal Persuasion” -- to reach over 16 million people with their Facebook applications. This new form of persuasion can make people rich, as we saw. But more important, Mass Interpersonal Persuasion can solve global problems in ways never before possible. On Thursday, for the first time, I will share deeper insights into this new persuasion phenomenon. My talk will connect the successes on Facebook with new trends in computerized persuasion. To push the envelope even more, I’ll share my Stanford lab’s project on Peace Technology. Our goal: Global harmony in 30 years. Thanks to Mass Interpersonal Persuasion, this ambitious goal is finally achievable (at least we think so). In some ways, the Facebook Class was a proof of concept. There’s more to explain – and most of it is new (in other words, feedback welcome!). So if you’re interested in the power behind Facebook apps, mass persuasion, or world peace, then join us on Thursday.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Stanford University awarded Dr. BJ Fogg the Maccoby Prize in 1998 for his research on computerized persuasion. He then founded the Persuasive Technology Lab and began teaching at Stanford, while also leading innovation projects for industry. In Fall 2007, BJ taught a new class for Stanford (with Dave McClure) about applications for Facebook. Their students' projects engaged over 16 million Facebook users in six weeks. BJ has identified a new form of persuasion that makes such dramatic results possible. He is the author of Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do.

This is the 6th talk in our special forum series on Going Beyond Web 2.0.