ИСТИНА

Characteristics of digital influence as a result of the use of specially organized computer programs and online facilities are discussed. Since the results of this influence may be regarded as an endeavor to provoke a sort of a digital persuasion, the analysis turns to the patterns of captology (CAPTology means an acronym: Computers As Persuasive Technologies) introduced by B.J. Fogg. Obvious psychological mediators are proposed, including overt ones (aka attractors), and latent ones (aka latent mediators). The selected patterns give rise to attempts aimed at reinterpretation of empirical studies performed by the authors during the last two decades. Thorough motivational research aimed at investigation of psychological impacts through overt and latent mediation has been done within communities of online video gamers and hackers who appeared to participate in the studies during the specified period. Through reinterpretation, both attractors and latent mediators have been presented as motivational patterns for the research participants to go on with the selected activities, i.e. gaming or hacking. Attractors are shown to be interactive motivation, while a latent mediator has been shown to be flow experience. While attractors and mediators can be possibly presented as being the opposites, they have been shown to impact the study participants uniformly.