Psychographic Turnover

Shiromoni Bhuyan

State Media Expert National Health Mission, Assam, Phone: 9508826681

Email: shirunsaya@gmail.com

Data driven psychographic changes have now become an agenda of the market and many other policy changes. Under policy change, market segmentation is taken to follow up micro targeting. The same with some additional inputs are being carried out to apply in the social system also. A psychographic profile can orient to push up certain messages which are more relevant on time and can alter the mind set of people. This is how the hypes created have penetrated among the common mass.

In the same way, latest context of national and international politics brought to light such consequences of human Psychograph. We have seen the strategic campaign made by PM Narendra Modi and his team during last Parliamentary election. It basically went across the social penetration with some behaviour change communication perspectives. The team was involved in the study of the message impulse developed, but before that, international scenario of political game was too much on the high with more stress on data driven psychographic changes. Developed countries in the world have lots of priority now on social and demographic sciences. They are in search of best possible innovation in changing of the belief system. When we just entered into the discourse on the theoretical studies of communication science, the rich one already has strategic route map to proceed through it. This is what we felt now the lack of approaches to catch up with the hidden and data driven agenda among commoners in country like India. We usually respond to any issue flashed in any media platform; accordingly the data drivers who are involved in the study of human responses get the empirical data from the responses. Moreover the quantification of data can provide a route map to innovate strategic messages for strong social resolution.

Is it too easy to change human mind set up? The answer is definitely 'No'. Then how do the data driving houses carry forward their targets to promote in support of any political parties, any brand etc. In the social sector, the behaviour change communication (BCC) workers are doing hard for some positive development by eradicating the bad practices, so we usually use the term BCC for positive social changes; but nowadays the data drivers and strategic campaigners have their professional priorities. If they are given the task to make acceptable the evil practices, they could do from their strategic actions. At least they can start their success rate from 10 percent and then the slow penetration will carry forward the other movements. But we cannot blame directly that such houses work for opinion establishment always have some bad agenda. Most of the firms have prioritised their social responsibility also. But in the big deal, we can noticed that many invaders whose intentions are more of degrading the value system of the locality.

In the latest news flashes, many questions on the activity of Cambridge Analytica are being scanned with many doubts. Their psychographic methods gained prominence in the USA Presidential election 2016 with micro target messaging. Such organisation like CA is also involved in brand promotion and social issue highlighting as well as hype. Definitely these organisations are handling scientific data with which they made strategy to stimulate the public through worthy messages. But apart from all, questions are being raised for hijacking the thoughts of people, international catalyst and unethical use of social media etc. Actually in the extent of the social media era, the public freedom to say something is increasing day by day but in the same way, the utility of our responses has increased for the business purposes also. 

 Starting from a single point of source to big response pool and analysis, the psychographic profile is developed. Simply the parameters are like activity, interest, opinion, attitudes, values, behaviour, lifestyles etc. It is also equated with lifestyle research. Depending on the responses archived, the data driving farms manipulate the same to a commodity to use in their professional agenda. In such consequences, these commodities may be used to generate artificial emotion through the means of targeted messages and situation handling.

We have seen in media report that for US Presidential election 2016, Cambridge Analytica started its strategic works in support of Donald Trump from some 2014 data bought from Facebook administration. Everything was ok at that time, but when it was investigated, something hidden has been come to light. That is nothing but the above stated agenda of utilisation of our responses in social media sites to a psychographic turn over task.

We cannot guess all such opinion survey for tempered means, we should respond to the social surveys for the better building of democratic society. But we should be alert to the ‘whom’ of responses only. Feedback for development is a prime concern so we must have to be proactive to provide feedback on good and bad of the development, social issues etc. Constructive feedback to develop something worthy is sign of responsible citizen. However, our conscience should be more alertto unworthy agenda. Such activities and many other tools work like participatory agents for specific agenda. Availability of terror videos, pornography even to the viewers of teen age are most common example of such tools. We should be aware to control the self in penetration to the tactical world; otherwise we cannot detect the slow poisoning in our society or in our market or in our life style.