23. The human factor in technology – Nadine Michaelides

Our world is ever more a cyberworld, but we still treat the digital part of it as if it weren’t real. Those who develop tech solutions surprisingly often forget about the people whom those solutions are for.

Nadine Michaelides is a cyber psychologist and behavioral scientist. She works with understanding the relationship between human behavior and technology. Some years ago she realized the need for this skill.

”We could spend hours in boardrooms talking about tech innovations, but nobody mentioned the people who were going to use them”, she says in this episode.

”It was all about budgets. People seemed to be an afterthought. I was shocked. What kind of strange universe was this?”

Nadine was seen as rebellious. But metrics, like surveys, showed that she knew what she was talking about. Today there is much more understanding of the human factor in technology, she says.

But flawed ideas about how to best achieve cyber security still abund:

”I have asked cyber security professionals how long they think it takes to actually do the tasks that they need the employees to do to be secure. They have no idea.”

Nadine Michaelides is concerned that technology is moving faster than our ability to see the whole picture.

”How can we train our children to watch out for electric cars that don’t sound anything? A culture change can take six to eight years. Can you imagine the tech change that will happen during that time?”

”But ultimately it can only go as far as we let it.”

On the much debated conflict between transparency and privacy Nadine says:

”Transparency is not just something that is nice to have, it is something we need in a democracy. But I do think transparency and privacy can work together. We need to filter to protect our children. But at the same time we need freedom of speech. It’s absolutely critical. The most important thing is that we don’t allow abuse of power.”

And on social media algorithms and polarization:

”The problem is that it gives even the extremes a voice that may not have been heard otherwise, and that can be dangerous. There is a case for regulation. But it can’t be based on financial gains, it must be based on democratic values.”

Nadine Michaelides’ consultancy is Anima.