Fake power-protecting technique: pretend to protect, but power-take instead

Quote from Lucio Buffalmano on July 5, 2021, 9:02 am

Hey Ali,

You're onto something, good analysis in the first part.

The "if you" is not indeed a "full" power-protection.

And the dynamics are indeed somewhat manipulative, since it sounds more power protecting than it really is.

It still does provide some power protection to the receiver though.
The "if you" is still better than a direct form of tasking:

So:

If you want to work together, sign the dotted line

Is a lot better than:

Sign the dotted lined

The latter is a big red flag that would tell me "don't work with this guy".
The former is accetapble.

Hence I'm not sure if the "fake" is the perfect description, or if we're instead talking about a continuum of power-protection, and this form happens to be very low in the scale.

Still, part of me likes it.
Let it sit for a second, or let's see what comes out of it with some more feedback / examples.

Quote from Ali Scarlett on July 5, 2021, 1:16 pm

Yea, I agree with you, Lucio.

Here's another example of what I mean:

[You are provided with a contract that makes it obvious you are to put your signature on each line that calls for it.]

You: (signs all of the respective lines and is getting ready to sign the last one)

Power-Taker: "(looking for a quick status boost) And, if you haven't already, (points to the line you were already about to sign) sign that last line."

The "if you" does make the request more indirect and help the receiver save some power.

The problem is, this isn't really a request, it's more of an order because he's not really "asking" you to do anything, he's telling you with the cover of this "partial power-protecting".

The "if you haven't already" refuses your power to decide whether or not you want to sign that final line because it's not up to you, it's up to your circumstances. Due to the power-taker's phrasing, your choice isn't dependent on you, it's dependent on whether or not you've already signed the line they're referring to.

Similar to the covert power moves we've seen, saying something that ignores your personal decision-making power feels the same as saying:

• "If you haven't already (regardless of your personal feelings on this), sign that last line."
• "If you're new here (regardless of your personal power to say "yes" or "no"), hit the like button and subscribe."

Quote from Matthew Whitewood on July 5, 2021, 1:23 pm

The thing that comes to my mind is the WIIFT or lack of WIIFT.

Lack of WIIFT

YouTuber: "If you're new here, go ahead and like and subscribe."

I will think something like

You want me to like your video just because I stumbled upon your video?

There's some sense of entitlement in the statement.

WIIFT in the Form of Enjoyment or Value

YouTuber: "If you enjoyed this video, go ahead and like and subscribe."

This focuses more on the value that the video brought to the viewer.

I suppose it overlaps with the amount of personal agency you let your viewer have.
By conditioning your statement with a WIIFT, you give the viewer more power to choose whether to like or subscribe.

So I do see the "If you're new here" as much less power-protecting in that sense.
It doesn't depend on the value that the viewer ascribes to the video.

I also see what you mean by sneaky.
Some people who don't think so much may end up clicking the like button.
Especially if the YouTuber was quite charismatic in the video.
So this technique of "If you're new here" may work for viral videos.

---

Edit: Posted this before seeing Ali's last post.

Quote from Ali Scarlett on July 5, 2021, 1:38 pm

Quote from Matthew Whitewood on July 5, 2021, 1:23 pm

Edit: Posted this before seeing Ali's last post.

It happens :).

Quote from Matthew Whitewood on July 5, 2021, 1:23 pm

The thing that comes to my mind is the WIIFT or lack of WIIFT.

Lack of WIIFT

YouTuber: "If you're new here, go ahead and like and subscribe."

I will think something like

You want me to like your video just because I stumbled upon your video?

There's some sense of entitlement in the statement.

WIIFT in the Form of Enjoyment or Value

YouTuber: "If you enjoyed this video, go ahead and like and subscribe."

This focuses more on the value that the video brought to the viewer.

I suppose it overlaps with the amount of personal agency you let your viewer have.
By conditioning your statement with a WIIFT, you give the viewer more power to choose whether to like or subscribe.

So I do see the "If you're new here" as much less power-protecting in that sense.
It doesn't depend on the value that the viewer ascribes to the video.

I also see what you mean by sneaky.
Some people who don't think so much may end up clicking the like button.
Especially if the YouTuber was quite charismatic in the video.
So this technique of "If you're new here" may work for viral videos.

Agreed, Matthew, I hadn't thought of it that way.

That sounds more like poor social strategy, and that could also be a form of social exchange manipulation under certain circumstances.

Based on your post/breakdown, it sounds like this technique can be used as more than power-taking, but also as a form of social scalping (getting value without having to underline the value delivered or give any future value).

Quote from Lucio Buffalmano on July 6, 2021, 8:53 am

Convinced, and added it to the dictionary.

I think it can make sense to have it as an expression.

Thanks Ali!