Dark Patterns - Manipulation on the Internet?

description

Booking trips, watching funny videos on YouTube, scrolling through Instagram— we constantly use the internet. Many things that used to cost money, such as newspapers or writing letters to friends, now seem quickly available and free. However, appearances are deceptive — if we don't pay with money, then with our personal data, our time, or our attention. Websites use "Dark Patterns" to tease these goods (e.g., data, time, attention) out of us, whereby we often don't even notice this kind of "payment". Dark Patterns are design patterns that obscure information, capture our attention, or push us to purchase a product.

In our project, we investigate the impact of Dark Patterns on user experience, how users might defend themselves against them, and how regulation can work on a legal level. We're also interested in exploring the strategies people develop in dealing with Dark Patterns.

In our exhibition room, you can learn about Dark Patterns: What are they, where do they occur, how do they influence us, and what can we do about them? We're also interested in your experiences: Where do you feel "influenced" on the internet? What strategies do you know to deal with this influence, and how can lawmakers actually act?

Additionally, you have the opportunity to test your response to manipulative pracitces on the internet— can and do you want to resist the influence of Dark Patterns?