When we hear the word engineering We may imagine, among other things, men with helmets and plans (because of civil engineering), extravagant mathematical calculations or computer geniuses like we see in the movies.
However, there is another kind of engineering, one so subtle that it can even generate big changes: social engineering
It may sound like science fiction but, in fact, social engineering exists and is used by many, from hackers even governments, and there begins one of the main points: what do we mean by the term social engineering?
The term has a long history, but we can summarize it by saying that there are basically two ways of understanding this concept. The first, taken from the field of computing, to be precise from hackers; and the second, taken from political science.
For hackers or people dedicated to computer security in general, social engineering is the act of manipulating a person through psychological techniques and social skills to meet specific goals (Sandoval, 2011) that in this area these goals normally refer to. to obtain and information or access to the system.
On the other hand, Political science has understood social engineering as any program dedicated to influencing the attitudes, relationships and actions of society so that it adopts the vision that in question wants to be implemented.
The role of Psychology in social engineering
The psychology It plays an important role in both conceptions of social engineering, since it is through the use of psychological techniques that their implementation is possible.
Some of the techniques are, in fact, quite simple and are based on behaviors that are natural to the human person since they have a social and evolutionary function that predisposes us to them.
For example, applied at the individual level as hackers do, Kevin Mitnick (2002), an expert on the subject, mentions at least four basic psychological principles that make a social engineering attack prone These principles are:
Behavioral theory and experimental psychology have given us many useful techniques to both modify and control behavior (remembering that the behaviorist definition of psychology includes both purposes).
Applying principles of social engineering thanks to marketing
However, is it applicable at a social level? The answer is Yeah. We must not forget that marketing and advertising does it all the time. In fact, social engineering – as it is understood in political science – emerged in the business field with JC van Marken and from there it was extrapolated to political science. Propaganda, language manipulation, support for voices of authority (such as politicians, scientists, academics) are just some of the means used.
Noam Chomsky mentions some manipulation techniques among which are the strategy of gradualness, using the emotional aspect in arguments, creating problems and then offering solutions, reinforcing self-blame, the strategy of deferring one decision among others. Examples of its use throughout history have been totalitarian governments (Nazism, fascism, communism, for example) but it still occurs in democracies and with greater ease.
Social experiments
As a social entity that is the human being, in principle it seeks not to be different because to be different is to be excluded (need for affiliation). This psychological fact is what is fundamentally used to atomize a society into more controllable and, in turn, more manipulable groups. Stanley Milgram, for example, demonstrated with his experiment how manipulable people are by someone with “authority” by managing to ensure that during the experiment the participants will be ordered to increase the power in the electrical impulse they used to indicate a mistake to an actor whom they did not see but heard his screams.
On the other hand, Solomon Asch demonstrated that the influence of others can lead people to act above their own opinion and values while Philip Zimbardo revealed how the adoption of roles changes people’s behavior. It is also known that manipulating language manipulates one’s perception of phenomenon X (as is done in cognitive-behavioral therapy). If the media repeats this over and over again, it becomes easier for the masses to accept this phenomenon
These are just a few examples of experiments that underpin social engineering techniques on a massive scale by institutions, non-governmental organizations, political parties and governments. Propaganda plays an important role in the development of social engineering, remembering that it is with the knowledge of the human being, its tendencies, its desires, its needs, its psychic mechanisms, its automatisms, as well as the knowledge of social psychology and psychology. analysis that propaganda refines its techniques (Jaques Ellul).
Now, is social engineering negative?
From my point of view, the answer would be a No. At least not in itself. While it is true that social engineering has been used to implement an agenda that imposes a specific vision of the world (in both totalitarian and democratic systems), it has also It is true that it can be used to solve real problems That is, it can be used for a good beyond political, economic or ideological pettiness.
If social engineering techniques can be used to end a relationship or obtain private information or impose a point of view or a new law previously contrary to popular sentiment, why couldn’t it be used for the opposite?
In this regard, the philosopher Karl Popper (1945) believed that in fact this was the correct way to use it. For him, the characteristic of social engineering was to solve social problems in a way analogous to how an engineer does so that there is greater production. On the other hand, he differentiates between the social engineering of democratic societies and totalitarian ones. In democratic societies, the solution is consensual and gradual, thus receiving more support. On the contrary, in totalitarian societies what we want is to solve all evils through the imposition of an ideal.
In conclusion, Both psychology and other disciplines involved have a lot to offer and while it is true that social engineering is usually viewed in a negative light, It is also true that it is necessary to solve many problems both at the individual and social level, which is why training in this aspect seems important to me.
