• jet@hackertalks.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    56
    ·
    edit-2
    10 months ago

    It’s a very common dark pattern. But I think weaponized incompetence is more contextually appropriate in a relationship where two people are supposedly cooperating.

    In a bureaucracy, I would just call it bureaucratic friction. The complaints department is only open the first Wednesday of the month from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. that kind of thing

    Or there was a class action lawsuit, register here via mail handwritten letter, and we will mail you a check for your $0.20 rebate. It’s very competent, it’s not pretending not to to be competent, they’re just putting up enough barriers that barely anybody would do it, and even if they do do it they probably will forget about it, or fill it in correctly. Adding lots of friction

    Or you can sign up for a subscription service with a credit card online, but to cancel it, you have to call, or visit the office, or write a real letter. That’s very competent. They’re not pretending they can’t do it. They just won’t do it. Dark pattern right there. Corporate friction

    • ChaosCoati@midwest.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      19
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      10 months ago

      There’s a store near us that almost always has some kind of sale going on. The catch is it isn’t immediate savings - you have to fill out and send in a rebate form. If you manage to do that, they send you “store credit” as a physical piece of paper you have to remember to bring to the store. I often wonder what percent of rebates never get submitted or used. Probably pretty high.

      I had a laugh the other day because one of their competitors was advertising an “instant savings, no waiting for rebates” sale.

  • haui@lemmy.giftedmc.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    18
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    10 months ago

    The funny thing is that nobody seems to see the most problematic connection:

    Companies „manage expectations“ (do the exact same but use a fancy name)

    Intelligent people with lack of morals mimic this behavior and rise to the top

    These new CEOs further this trend.

    Now every other person does it too (obviously not everyone).

    People start to become sick from exhaustion, commit suicide because the world is getting more and more ruthless.

    Everyone excuses it as „thats just capitalism“ or „you just need to grow a thicker skin“.

    Thats why people freak out and commit acts of terrorism, because others could not care less about their daily suffering.

    We need compassion, folks.

    • Comrade GitGudOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      10 months ago

      Couldn’t agree more. Unfortunately some systems are designed without compassion as an inherently necessary factor, or even discourage it.

      • haui@lemmy.giftedmc.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        10 months ago

        Exactly. Compassion makes people flock together and be less governable though. People who are scared and infight a lot are the easiest to manipulate and exploit.

  • Dr. Bob@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    11
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    10 months ago

    I was genuinely taken aback at how much the article focused on interpersonal relationships and gender. I am much more familiar with the concept in bureaucracy the way the post teased it.

    • Comrade GitGudOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      10 months ago

      To be fair, it’s a short Wikipedia article that really only glosses over the concept, but there’s lots of other articles on it online, including if I remember correctly a Psychology Today article.