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Oh come on, it’s not "sudden"—they’ve been around since the dawn of shady UX. The only thing new is that now everyone’s finally calling it out 💀

Wait, so u’re saying dark patterns are just the tech world’s version of “the dress”—everyone’s suddenly seeing it because someone pointed it out?

this needs more upvotes

yeah but now they’re in every app’s onboarding flow like it’s some kind of dark pattern olympics

wait what *(edited)*

OP should pin this

Why did I have to read this today specifically lowkey 💀

hard disagree

OP should pin this

couldn't agree more

Yeah, but "suddenly" implies we weren’t noticing before — (and honestly, the tech press has been screaming about this for *years*).

tarek, don't be so quick to dismiss the idea of suddenly becoming aware - awareness doesn't mean it wasn't there all along. I've been working in tech 4 15 years, trust me when I say people knew about dark patterns back in the day, we just used to call them "features" or "optimizations" *(edited)*

Ugh, exactly. It’s like when you finally notice everyone’s wearing those shoes everywhere—suddenly you can’t unsee it

OP should pin this

someone finally said it

^ what they said

screenshotting this

came here to say this

im dead 😭

screenshotting this

OP should pin this

more people need to see this

someone finally said it

more people need to see this

why is this buried? this is the real answer

underrated take

Ughhh but isn’t that the thing—like last week I accidentally tapped a "free trial" button buried in a paragraph of gray text (thanks, meditation app) and now I’m paying $12/month for something I never used? (still mad about it) *(edited)*

why do you think people are only noticing now 😭

Yeah but like, it’s not sudden—we just finally got fed up when the tricks started affecting our wallets, not just our patience

Yeah because now EVERYONE’S got a phone and companies can’t hide their greed behind screens anymore

screenshotting this

why do you think people are only noticing these now? Like, were they always there or did something change?

this comment > the whole thread

imagine thinking this

someone finally said it

Profit over ethics—always has been 😭

Ugh, finally someone calling this out. It’s like we’ve all collectively agreed to let corporations treat us like lab rats just to use AN app. And now everyone’s just shrugging like, “Well, that’s how it is.” Pathetic.

Oh man, I *hate* how these dark patterns feel like they’re popping up everywhere at once—like one day I’m just innocently trying to cancel a subscription and suddenly I’m stuck in a maze of "Are you *sure*?" pop-ups and hidden buttons! Do you t... *(edited)*

Profit over people, obviously. 😂

Profit over people? More like profit *because* of people

not me

Man, I’ve been seeing these dark patterns since the early 2010s—subscription traps, hidden fees, that "free trial" that auto-renews without a peep. The real shift is just that apps finally figured out how to make it feel *normal* instead of sleazy.

Ok but why does no one talk about THIS tho

real

The way this is just facts lmao

First time posting but isn’t it wild how we’ve just accepted that apps will trick us into subscriptions or extra charges without blinking? like, when did "dark patterns" become the default instead of the exception?

I think the issue with labeling dark patterns as "the new normal" is that it distracts from the root problem: our lack of empathy for users' experience and decision-making processes. We're so caught up in creating engagement and retention strategies that we forget the value of honest communication and user agency.

i've seen this train wreck coming for years, been saying it out loud since before social media influencers started calling it "dark patterns." Reminds me of when I tried to cancel my gym membership by clicking a "cancel subscription" link, only to end up in a 15-page agreement that wanted me to sign up for a credit card that would charge me $50/month whether I liked it or not - talk about a pattern that's anything but dark

Oh, the irony — we’ve collectively decided that the best way to keep users engaged is to trick them into staying, like a bad relationship where the abuser gaslights you into thinking you *wanted* to be there all along.

nah

Oh man, I *just* dealt with this yesterday when trying to cancel a subscription—like 5 pop-ups and a "Are you sure?" page that felt like a psychological maze! It’s wild how they’ve turned friction into a feature.

i read that dark patterns are basically a way for companies to manipulate users into doing things they might regret later. Do you think the lack of regulation is a major contributor to this?

not gonna lie

I have been saying this 4 years and nobody listened ngl

Screenshotting this for later

Oh please, dark patterns aren’t new—they’re just finally getting called out because now even your grandma’s using apps

Ugh my phone’s been asking me to “upgrade my storage” for 3 months and i keep clicking “not now” like it’s a relationship i’m too tired to end

Profit over people, obviously idk

Dark patterns aren't new, they've been around since the early days of the internet, and its not like THEY suddenly became acceptable – what's changed is that users are finally starting to notice and get upset about them. *(edited)*

They’re not "suddenly" normal—they’ve been normal for years, just finally getting called out more. Profit over ethics isn’t new, it’s just finally embarrassing enough to mention out loud

Profit over people, obviously lowkey 😩 *(edited)*

Apps are just stealing your attention like a thief in broad daylight

oh please, spare me the "suddenly" nonsense—dark patterns have been the backbone of Silicon Valley since the dial-up days. You really think this is some fresh trend, or just that you finally noticed?

imagine thinking this

dark patterns in apps are the new normal because that's exactly what we want, right? We want all the free stuff and no ads, and we're willing to sacrifice our personal data and sanity for it, like I did whe..

You think this is sudden? Dark patterns have been around since the dawn of capitalism—just dressed up in new tech. The real shift is that now we *notice* them because apps are our whole lives, not just a catalog you flip through on Sunday

Oh, because capitalism found a way to make guilt-tripping users into a UX feature. Congrats, we’ve optimized regret into an app experience.