Social Engineering

American Heritage Dictionary defines Social Engineering as "The practical application of sociological principles to particular social norms". According to Brian Brushman, host of my new favorite internet show Scam School defines it as "Using cheap, dirty pstcological tricks to get people to do what you want". I like Brian's definition and honestly, it is really fun seeing the effects social norms have on people in any kind of social situation. I discovered Brian Brushman's Scam School a littel over a week ago and I have now become a pasionate student and member of the "Con Club" dedicated to social engineering in the bar and on the streets. Amen. Ahem... Honeslty though, I have told you before that I have been performing amateur magic tricks since I was sixteen years old, but in that last week ir so of watching Scam School, I have learned more about the reactions and tendencies of potential audience members or 'marks' than I learned in the previous six years.

Its not about the trick, its about the show. People are dreadfully simple to distract, and the digital, multi-tasking world we live in has only made this easier. Most people are see the world as a "big picture" and muddle over the individual details. One would think if I were to perform a magic trick for you, you would engage some super detail selection software in your mind, but in all honesty, it is when you are being tested that you are most likely to fail this exercise. Because your guard is so high during a trick hoping to debunk the magic, youe mind will focus on the very first detail I hint is important, and seldom look anywhere else for the rest of the trick. There is a Youtube video where unkowing customers walk into a dealership to buy a motorcycle. During the sale the salesman who is in on the exeperiment periodically and very quickly changes an aricle of his clothing. Change his jacket, hat and in an extreme case, added an eye-patch. The customers who are so engaged in their purchase, almost always fail to recognize the changes in the salesman's appearance. This same blindness is what makes most tricks possible.

Knowing what people are blind to on a mental basis and what most people's goals are in a social situation can make you the proverbial puppet master when dealing with strangers at the bar or anywhere else. I have found in my experience, your friends are much less likely to be able to be fooled in such ways due to their innate knowlege of your social baseline. Any attempt to change your usual facade is an immediate red flag to those familiar to you that you are pulling a con.

I guess the whole point of this post though is that I may have found a way to overcome my shyness at the bar. My magic tricks are just gimmicks and flair. They are nothing to me if I don't have the nerve to go up to a pretty girl at the bar and say hello. With my limited knowlege of social engineering I think I can now attempt to meet a lot more people. I'm not saying I can manipulate people, nor would I ever want to. These new skills I am developing are only a way in which I can guage reactions from people, and hopefully steer the conversation in an interesting and new direction from which they are used to. Trust me, if you are interesting and considerate, most people are going to want to keep talking to you. And hell, if they receive a little entertainment along the way (with a magic trick or two) then who can complain?

Granted, I am only ankle deep in this new discovery, so I will let you know of my success (and failure) stories as I take this theory "into the field" so to speak. As always, I hope you enjoy my posts. Thank you for reading.


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