Coined by Rory Sutherland, Technoplasmosis is a play on the parasite toxoplasmosis. Technoplasmosis refers to the way technology companies influence our decision-making by changing the criteria by which success is judged.
For example, a marketing team may use a Google dashboard to track the performance of their Google advertising campaign. The dashboard, of course, is biased by what metrics it actually presents and emphasizes. Click-through rate, impressions, etc. are all metrics that Google itself benefits by the marketing team optimizing for.
The tools we use subtly shift the evaluation criteria. It moves us away from building a strong resonate brand founded on big ideas to chasing short-term uplift on a chart.
Connections
Link Explanation: Our societal world views have been flattened over the past 2-3 centuries. We have moved away from meaning-making frameworks towards belief systems that value efficiency and productivity at the highest level. Technoplasmosis is a manifestation of instrumental reasoning as we focus on growing numbers on a dashboard over making decisions with lasting impact.
Reference
https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/technoplasmosis-the-hidden-parasite-controlling-modern-marketing