Technology

You should be pissed off! It's software paternalism, utilizing new speak, removing your vocabulary and agency.

Every time you're given a dark pattern dialogue where it says " would you like this thing that you don't like? Yes absolutely, later " the developers don't respect you, they're trying to say you don't know what you want, they're using propaganda on you..

It's like the classic police interrogation question " is that when you stopped beating your wife?" Yes and no are both traps. So some edgy developer is trying to trap you with oh but you consented (can send it) to seeing this later. When it's really user hostile dark patterns using forced language to remove your agency as a human being. It's fucking scummy

This is why I love open source software, not only is it highly unlikely for you to see a dark pattern, if you do you can fix it!

Yes, the most egregious one that really grinds my gears is on the front page of YouTube, where it will show a shelf with YouTube shorts with an X top right. If you click it, it will hide the shelf and say "Okay, we'll hide shorts for 30 days" which is something no body would ever mean by pressing that button and it's such patronizing, insidious bullshit.

I think another issue here is a side effect of the move to Software As A Service. With installed software you could run an old version nearly forever, but with SASS you're always on the latest version

Every time I go to the ATM to get cash it shows me an ad for a service and the options are "Yes" and "No thanks."

I am forced to choose one. I am forced to thank them for showing me an ad before they give me my own money.

No, YouTube. NO. I will NEVER, EVER want YouTube Premium. Stop asking me about it every fucking time I watch a video.

I hear your frustration, but there are other options. They won't necessarily be the same, or perhaps equivalent in every way, but they do exist. You don't have to use the same corporations over and over again.

I don't think that you're being overzealous. Far from that - even the phrasing rubs me the wrong way; it conveys "you're something fooling itself that it has a choice. You don't - you aren't a rational human being, you're a user. Do as you're being ordered to. The continued pestering adds "You'll be bossed around until you learn to obey." to the insult.

On a lighter side I agree with Grouchy that you have options. I think that we should start giving those companies the middle finger. And frankly I think that we're better off doing so for other reasons - the data vultures love this sort of "non-confrontational on surface, but bossy upon analysis" discourse.

I just had LinkedIn do this to me this morning. They sent a message trying to get me to buy some sort of sales package, with only preset response options, all were different versions of yes or ask me later. I reported the message as spam.

Start holding a grudge against all companies that don’t deserve your respect. If they clearly violate your trust, that bridge just got instantly burned to ashes, and there are no seconds chances.

The tech market slowing after the end of Covid really showed these greedy fucks for who they are. Profits dropped and they all pulled out the enshittification dial for a big old twist.

Like, can't you just deal with being slightly less insanely rich for a few minutes?

In the eighties, it was acknowledged that since the fifties the viewing public are more resistant to commercials and marketing, outpacing their new techniques (more commercials, engaging commercials, obnoxious commercials, product placement, having whole shows that are one big commercial, etc.)

One factor is as marketers hard-sell middle age men, they're also immunizing their kids and grand kids who grow up skeptical of anyone saying anything nice lest they're trying to sell something.

This also likely figures into the attendance crises experienced by religious ministries as old parishioners age out and new ones realize they don't have time for spirit or money for tithes.

This is just one of a hundred reasons to avoid proprietary software. The only power we have to change the behavior of closed software is not using it.

Free Software is the only solution to this in the long run.

2020s big tech web platforms have a certain language to them that makes me think of a passive aggressive Californian dudebro designing them. It’s not “No”, it’s “Maybe later”; it’s not “OK” it’s “Got it” et cetera

Yeah, Google is doing this to analytics right now. The decision seems universally disliked amongst professionals.

It's just like those stupid GDPR cookie popups. They're all different, and I can't think of anyone who would ever want to select some cookies and not others, people either are okay with it or they want none of them, yet few sites offer a "no to all" option, and most push the boundaries of what's allowed under the law.

At least this popup usually isn't there the next time I visit, but there's just so many sites that I keep getting them multiple times a day, so it feels just like what you're talking about.

Nowadays it's even in cars. When service is due, my car offers me to call service desk to schedule an appointment now or later. To get rid of this message, I need to make the call just to tell the person on the other side that this is a company car, I'm not the owner, and service is being scheduled by the leasing company through other means anyway.

"Do you want to try the new Lemmy(TM) Story Experience? Click here or remind us now to keep reminding you until you finally cave to our humungous data-hoovering tentacles, puny little user."

I've yet to accept Whatsapp's new (2020) terms of service. App still works. So I consider it a small, petty victory for me

My LG television keeps asking to accept terms for voice control. I stand fast in my refusal to accept. There not even an option to say no...sigh..

Microsoft: "Please use Edge!"

Me: "No thanks!"

Microsoft, 6 months later: "Please use Edge!"

Me: "No, thanks."

Microsoft, when I visit Bing: "Please use Edge."

Me: "No. Thanks."

Microsoft, when I open Outlook: "We will be opening links in Edge instead of your default browser. To switch back, go to your preferences."

Me: "Motherfucker, I think we have a difference in viewpoints."

The only way to say "no" is to not give them the opportunity to ask the question to begin with.

MS Edge, when I accidentally open it.

uBO' block elements be like: see you never byee

Pester me and I'm done with you. I don't care. App quits working because I didn't upgrade it and your reason is "improvements", goodbye.

I've been pissed about this for a decade