No. 93 · People · Sociology
Streisand Effect
Trying to hide something often makes far more people look at it.
In the Almanac
“Lady Chatterley on trial”, 1960 · “Nestlé and KitKat”, 2010
Both stories in full, three ways to use it and where it misleads.
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Questions
What is Streisand Effect?
The Streisand Effect is when an attempt to hide, censor or remove information backfires and makes it spread further. The act of suppression becomes a story, and curiosity does the rest.
How do you use Streisand Effect?
To use it, answer criticism openly instead of trying to bury it, think before banning or deleting, and ask how your request would look if everyone could see it.
When does Streisand Effect matter?
Streisand Effect is one of the 60 mental models for people, the situations where you ask: Why do people act as they do, and how do I work with them? Within that, it belongs to “Persuading and influencing”, alongside Anchoring, Backfire Effect and Bait and Switch.
What is an example of Streisand Effect?
Two stories show it at work: Lady Chatterley on trial (1960) and Nestlé and KitKat (2010). Both are told in full in The Mental Models Daily Almanac, which has two stories for each of its 365 models.
Which mental models are related to Streisand Effect?
Blowback, Law of Unintended Consequences and Chilling Effect. Streisand Effect itself comes from sociology.