ONE SMALL SEED MAGAZINE Issue #26 Digital 01 | Page 41

THE STATS ON

STUPID

The Google Effect – identified in 2011 by
researchers Betsy Sparrow, Jenny Liu and Daniel
Wegner – is basically an extension of Wegner's
1980s concept that he called 'Transactive
Memory'. In essence this concept shows that the
human brain likes to take 'cognitive shortcuts'
whenever possible, and if there’s no real need
to remember something then our brains simply
won't bother making the extra effort. With Google
offering us information that’s simply 'a click away',
our brains subconsciously drop a few gears and
sit comfortably in power-saving mode. Now add
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and so forth into
the mix (and the ever-increasing information
that comes with them) – it's only a matter of time
before we go into lockdown. So, is there such a
thing as TMI? Stupid or not – Tweet us your opinion
@onesmallseedSA!

NEUROMARKETING:
A Prime Example of Tweaking Reality

Perhaps the biggest to score out of the
development of neuroscience are those up in
the advertising world, the big guys so to speak.
It all comes down to one little word: Priming. By
understanding how the brain works, and why we
make decisions, the marketing world now has
priceless insight that – if understood correctly –
can be used as a tool for manipulation. Priming
an individual means you feed bits of information
to them on a subconscious level, and by doing
so affect the decision they haven't even made
yet. Giving Coke cans human names is a recent
example, amongst many, that trigger the emotive
part of your brain, making you feel special and –
in a way – hand-selected.

I’ll end this with an introduction to someone, who
probably doesn’t need one. I’ve never been a fan of
assumption, so:
Sir Arthur C. Clarke – a man most famous for being cowriter to one of history's most influential science fiction
films, 2001: A Space Odyssey, directed by the iconic
Stanley Kubrick (The Shining, Clockwork Orange). Both
were pioneers and geniuses, who embraced their
reality with grit and unwavering vision – we continue to
learn from their work today!
Something that really resonated is a quote from Clarke
in 2003:
‘The Information Age’ offers much to mankind, and I
would like to think that we will rise to the challenges it
presents. But it is vital to remember that information
— in the sense of raw data — is not knowledge, that
knowledge is not wisdom, and that wisdom is not
foresight. 
But information is the first essential step
to all of these.’ (‘Humanity Will Survive Information
Deluge’, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, 2003)
Information and the freedom to access it, is still available
to many of us. This is a tool for positive future change.
And for the many that do not have this access, try make
it your goal to keep learning and then start spreading.
Start a conversation. Cultivate a dialogue offline. Walk
away with a smile you’re not aware of having. Make
eye contact once in a while. And then share this as
your status update. Something real. Stop being afraid,
and others will follow suit. The late Alexander