Seth's Blog : The paradox of points

The paradox of points

Points aren’t just for games. Points are how we keep score and decide what to do next. Pick your scorekeeping wisely.

Too much focus on the score can bend us or break us, pushing us to engage with too much focus and without regard for balance.

And our attachment to obvious points strips us of our agency and independence.

If it’s subtle, variable and up to the user, the uncertainty can amplify our insecurity. “Wear festive clothing,” is an unwelcome line on an invitation, because the point system is unclear. How do I fit in? How do I not lose, or even win?

On the other hand, if the points on offer are industrialized, transactional or predictable, it quickly dehumanizes us into profit-seeking automatons. But at scale, this sort of easily communicated metric is common.

The word ‘jerk’ describes what happens to a human who is controlled by an assembly line (or a horse by a whip). A visitor to the first Ford assembly line was amazed at how the stopwatch and the pursuit of humans-as-a-resource mindset was turning people into puppets.

Points and compliance. Choose carefully.