Have you ever noticed that clicking on one ad on social media or a website can suddenly fill all of your feeds with similar ads? This is due to dark marketing tactics. In the ABC article, “Dark marketing on social media platforms helping fuel the trade of potentially harmful products”, young Australians are portrayed as victims of these sneaky marketing tactics which exploit our habits and emotions to push questionable products. Sadly I have to agree with this portrayal. Dark patterns take advantage of teens, boosting the idea that we’re naive, impulsive and easily manipulated online.
Young Australians Are Represented As Easily Swayed
Dark patterns play on our emotions whether it’s excitement, curiosity, or FOMO to get us to click, buy or subscribe. By targeting us with these shady tactics, companies are suggesting that we, as young people, are too quick to trust what we see online. In the ABC article, 21-year-old Issy Coghill clicked on a vape ad, supposedly to help with anxiety and suddenly her feeds on all her socials were full of ads for alternative smoke products. This kind of marketing plays on your insecurities and makes it seem like you are not capable of making your own informed decisions. Not only do these dark patterns affect our wallets, but they also send a message to society that we’re easily distracted and misled by whatever pops up on our screens.
Social Media Treats Us Like We’re Just Impulsive Clickers
Social media sites collect a boatload of data on us to target us with ads for products that are often harmful or downright sketchy. This gives the idea that Australian youth are impulsive, almost as if we can’t think critically about the ads we see. The ABC article describes how platforms like TikTok, Pinterest and Instagram use and share our data to deliver ads for things such as mushroom gummies marketed as “anxiety treatments”-products that have sent people to the hospital. When platforms push ads like this on us, they’re assuming that young Australians can’t help but click on anything flashy that shows up. This constant attack reinforces the stereotype that we are just mindless consumers.
Dark Patterns Are Creating a Culture of Distrust Online
I believe all this deceptive marketing doesn’t just affect what we buy but also makes the internet feel like a place we can’t trust, especially when brands disappear after a quick sale. The ABC article explains that a legitimate-looking company that was there one day shut down overnight. Issy’s vape purchase is a perfect example: one day there was a legit-looking company and the next it just shut down and was gone without a trace. This leads to a culture where young Aussies are painted as naive, falling for scams that leave us with a sense that the online spaces we frequent are always out to get us. This makes us as young Australians look as if we are easy targets for online advertising. It is discouraging to be viewed as victims.
You can stay safer from online advertising by using an ad blocker such as Ublock Origin or AdNauseam. Both of these are free and open source. These ad blockers filter out most of the sketchy websites but you still need to use common sense and be cautious to avoid bad sites. the deceptive.design hall of shame Is a good place to look at examples of dark patterns to further educate yourself on these bad marketing techniques. If you find a dark pattern on a website you can report it to the EFF with their dark pattern tip line
It is very disappointing that some online marketing is deceptive and targets youth. Australian teenagers are represented as manipulated by dark patterns. It is woeful to say that I agree that we are being manipulated. In almost every social media platform the use of these dark advertising techniques is incredibly common. We as young Australians need to beware of these dodgy ads to stay safe and protected online. My friends and I value integrity and truth in our online world.
References
(n.d.). Deceptive Patterns (aka Dark Patterns) – spreading awareness since 2010. Retrieved October 4, 2024, from https://www.deceptive.design/
Bowman, J., & Macmillan, J. (2024, August 19). Dark marketing on social media platforms helping fuel the trade of potentially harmful products. ABC. Retrieved October 12, 2024, from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-20/australia-dark-marketing-online-advertising-tga-health-warning/104118822
Friends Enjoying Technology Image. (n.d.). StockCake. Retrieved October 12, 2024, from https://stockcake.com/i/friends-enjoying-technology_114481_56449
Mori, S. (2021, May 19). Help Bring Dark Patterns To Light. Electronic Frontier Foundation. Retrieved October 4, 2024, from https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/05/help-bring-dark-patterns-light
Szerovay, K. (2017, Nov 1). Dark Patterns. UX Knowledge Base Sketch #29 | by Krisztina Szerovay. UX Knowledge Base Sketch. Retrieved October 12, 2024, from https://uxknowledgebase.com/dark-patterns-3b41ed7a690e