How social media are collecting more of users’ data: a behavioral model of platform retention strategies

Anne Corcos () and Levana Hodara ()
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Anne Corcos: LEFMI and Université de Picardie
Levana Hodara: Centre d’Économie de l’ENS Paris-Saclay

SN Business & Economics, 2023, vol. 3, issue 7, 1-18

Abstract: Abstract While the business models of social media are primarily data-driven (Hartmann in Int J Oper Prod Manag 36:1382, 2016), little research has focused on the strategies that platforms use to collect more and more user data. The contribution of this paper is threefold. First, it shows that time spent on social media is also, and primarily, the result of deliberate retention strategies implemented by platforms. Second, it identifies behavioral tools (Kahneman and Tversky in Econometrica 47, 1979) and develops a model that analyzes how these tools are combined to retain users: they encourage behavioral inertia and increase user enjoyment without requiring much effort. Ultimately, beyond the interest in identifying and characterizing these behavioral retention strategies, understanding how they work is a first step toward regaining control over our choices and behaviors. The article also aims to guide lawmakers in their efforts to protect consumers.

Keywords: Social media; Behavioral model; Behavioral retention strategy; Framing effects; Platform interfaces; Data-driven business model; Marketing; Users’ behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1007/s43546-023-00501-9

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