Unsubscribe
Overview
The word “unsubscribe” is about cancelling a subscription to a mailing list or similar online service. This is an option that is often available at the bottom of promotional emails for e-commerce platforms.
This example of a dark pattern occurs when these options take extraneous time and effort for the user to complete by design. While it could be simple and straightforward to click the unsubscribe button and automatically be removed from the mailing list, companies may require users to log into their accounts, input their personal information, or open a new tab to unsubscribe.
By increasing the amount of work for the users, it is more likely that they will give up and stay subscribed in order to reduce their work.
References
- Natasha Dow Schull. Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2012.