The study is to establish whether there is any impact on the social media company that is implementing the deceptive design on the account deletion process. By conducting the qualitative research with Instagram users and analyzing users’ feelings, opinions, and potential actions, the study finds out using the deceptive design on account deletion process on social media has a weak influence on the social media company.

In recent years, YouTube has evolved from a user-generated platform to a platform that thrives on professionalized and marketable content, otherwise known as the era of the social media influencer (Kim, 2012;). This thesis applies neutralization and Millsian theories to help unpack the widespread fraud and deceptive advertising on the platform within a neoliberal capitalist context. The focal points of this thesis are apology videos in the wake of deceptive/fraudulent advertising scandals, cancel culture, and the symbiotic relationship that influencers and corporations share in paid sponsorships on YouTube. The findings indicate that influencers function similarly to corporate entities during scandals and engage in neutralizations to protect their reputation, brand, and business relationships (Schoultz & Flyghed, 2019; Whyte, 2016). This thesis also points to the legal challenges in holding influencers accountable at the level of domestic advertising agencies and on YouTube itself. Lastly, this thesis questions the invisibility of corporations in these scandals regarding how this may be indicative of larger manifestations of corporate power in society.

Many mobile games use a user interface designed to get their players to spend more time, money or social engagement within their application. This is done by deliberately misleading or otherwise confusing the user by, for example, making the player lose track of time when playing or by giving rewards to players who spend money or invite their friends into the game. This can be taken to the extent that it strongly affects players negatively both financially and socially. This type of game elements is also known as dark patterns, which are not only used in games but also on websites, social media and other digital applications. Dark patterns have been discussed more in recent years since consumers and users have become more aware of how deceptive digital design affects behavior. This study examines the game design of Candy Crush Saga with a focus on dark patterns, and how these affect the game as a whole as well as the users who play it. The study focuses on three categories that characterize dark patterns, namely temporal, monetary and social. Based on these categories, they have subcategories that describe specific design elements with examples. The study that has been done consists of two parts: a heuristic evaluation and a survey where a number of active players have been asked to answer questions about their gaming habits in the game Candy Crush Saga. The study finds that the game contains several dark patterns, which in varying degrees affects the players’ experience in the game. The study also discusses how cumulative dark patterns enhance each other and can therefore be perceived as particularly problematic. / Många mobilspel använder sig av ett användargränssnitt utformat för att få sina spelare att spendera mer tid, pengar eller socialt engagemang inom deras applikation. Detta genom att medvetet vilseleda eller på annat sätt förvirra användaren genom att till exempel få spelaren att förlora uppfattningen av hur mycket tid de har spenderat i spelet eller genom att ge belöningar till spelare som spenderar pengar eller bjuder in sina vänner i spelet. Detta kan tas till den grad att det starkt påverkar spelarna negativt både ekonomiskt och socialt. Denna typ av spelelement kallas även dark patterns, som förutom i spel även används på webbsidor, sociala medier och andra digitala applikationer. Dark patterns har diskuterats mer under senare år då konsumenter och användare har blivit mer medvetna om hur vilseledande digital design påverkar beteenden. I denna studie har spelet Candy Crush Sagas speldesign undersökts med fokus på dark patterns, och hur dessa påverkar spelet i sin helhet och användarna som spelar. Studien har fokuserat på de tre kategorier som kännetecknar dark patterns, nämligen de temporala, monetära och sociala. Utifrån dessa kategorier har de underkategorier som beskriver specifika designelement med exempel. Studien som har gjorts består av två delar där det dels är en heuristisk utvärdering som har gjorts, samt en enkätstudie där en andel aktiva spelare har fått svara på frågor angående deras spelvanor i spelet Candy Crush Saga. Studien konstaterar att spelet innehåller flera dark patterns, som i varierande grad påverkar spelarnas upplevelse i spelet. Studien diskuterar även hur kumulativa dark patterns förhöjer varandra och därav kan upplevas som särskilt problematiska.

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This study aims to address whether Swedish e-commerce websites use dark patterns in cookies and, if so, how they do it and what users think is ethically acceptable regarding this matter. Previous research has mainly focused on identifying dark patterns and the user experience aspect of cookies and dark patterns. In this study, a framework based on definitions of dark patterns from Brignull (u.å.b) and Forbrukerrådet (2018), was used to identify dark patterns in cookies through a content analysis on 30 of the e-commerce websites in Sweden with the highest economic turnover. What users consider to be ethically acceptable is examined through a survey with a total of 111 respondents. The results show that dark patterns are used to a large extent on Swedish e-commerce websites and out of eight examined dark patterns, an average of five dark patterns per website were identified. The results also indicate that the majority of users thought that dark patterns in cookies are ethically unacceptable, even though a certain part of the respondents also seemed to be more neutral set in the matter.

Dark Patterns är designmönster som används av företag i syfte att manipulera användare till att fatta beslut som de möjligtvis inte hade gjort annars och som inte gynnar deras egna intressen. Den här studien undersöker användarens upplevelse och perspektiv på dark patterns på en onlineresebyrås hemsida där dark patterns används flitigt. Dark patterns använder sig ofta av kognitiva biaser som utnyttjas hos användaren för att styra användaren till att fatta beslut som användaren inte hade avsikt att fatta, och som till följd kan påverka individens välfärd negativt. Dessa designmönster blir allt mer förekommande inom e-handeln, vilket väcker frågan hur etiskt användningen av dark patterns är. I dagsläget finns inga regelverk i Sverige som specifikt gäller användningen av dark patterns, däremot finns det regelverk som berör dark patterns, exempelvis de riktlinjer som den Europeiska dataskyddsstyrelsen har tagit fram gällande användandet av deceptive patterns samt Europaparlamentets direktiv om otillbörliga affärsmetoder. Forskningsfrågorna som ligger till grund för denna studie är: “Hur upplever internetanvändare dark patterns på onlineresebyråers hemsidor?” och “Hur påverkas användarens attityd gentemot onlineresebyråer som applicerar dark patterns?”. För att försöka svara på frågeställningarna har en kvalitativ kartläggning genomförts med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer. Studien undersöker hur fyra internetanvändare med stor resvana upplever dark patterns på en onlineresebyrås hemsida med hjälp av simulerade bokningsprocesser i form av förinspelade videor. Intervjuerna transkriberades och analyserades med hjälp av tematisk analys. Resultatet visade att deltagarna hade en förståelse att man som användare bör vara försiktig vid bokning av resor för att inte bli lurad. Denna urvalsgrupp betonar att de har vant sig vid ett flertal dark patterns och inte längre reagerar på dem. Däremot upplevdes dark patterns som både något som förhindrar en smidig bokning och som störande moment under bokningen. Studien tyder på att när deltagarna är medvetna om dark patterns upplever de dem också som störande och även oetiska. En överdriven användning av dark patterns verkar även skapa en negativ uppfattning om företag som använder dem. Studien visar även att ett överanvändande av dark patterns kan ha motsatt effekt på vad företagen som implementerar dem hoppas på; att användare snarare upplever negativa känslor som påverkar deras köpbenägenhet negativt. / Dark Patterns are design patterns used by companies to trick users to make decisions that they might otherwise not have done and may not be in the user’s best interest. This study investigates users' experience and perspective on dark patterns on an online travel agency’s website that frequently uses dark patterns. Dark patterns often exploit cognitive biases in the user to steer the user to make decisions that the user might not have intended to make, which could have a negative effect on the user’s welfare. These types of design patterns are becoming more and more common within e-commerce which has sparked the question of ethicality in the use of dark patterns. There are currently no regulations in Sweden that specifically cover dark patterns, but there are regulations that affect dark patterns, such as the guidelines The European Data Protection Board have established on the use of deceptive patterns as well as the European Parliament’s “Unfair Commercial Practices Directive”. The underlying research questions for this study are: “How do internet users experience dark patterns on online travel agencies’ websites?” and “How is the users’ attitude towards online travel agencies that apply dark patterns affected?”. In an effort to answer the research questions a qualitative survey has been done with the help of semi-structured interviews. This study investigates how four internet users perceive dark patterns on an online travel agency’s website with the help of simulated booking processes through pre-recorded videos. The interviews were then transcribed and analyzed through thematic analysis. The results show that the participants had an understanding of the need to be cautious during online travel booking to avoid being tricked or scammed. This selection group emphasizes that they’ve become used to a number of dark patterns and no longer react to them. Dark patterns that hinders a smooth booking are however seen as disruptive elements. This study indicates that the users perceive dark patterns as disruptive and unethical when they’re aware of the dark patterns being used. Excessive use of dark patterns also seems to create a negative perception on the company that uses them. This study also shows that an excessive use of dark patterns could have the opposite effect than desired by the company that implements them; that the user is inflicted by negative feelings that affect the users propensity to purchase negatively.

This thesis investigates how airline companies use dark patterns on their websites and how users perceive them. Dark patterns are deceiving design strategies that take advantage of users by integrating misleading user interface features to trick users into doing things they did not mean to. Previous taxonomies of dark patterns are introduced, together with earlier research on dark patterns and user experience, to understand their research approach. A qualitative approach is used, including a case study that starts with a content analysis of airline websites and then semi-structured interviews with users. The results show that six types of dark patterns can be found on airline websites. These are misdirection, nagging, urgency, interface interference, price comparison prevention and forced action. It was found in line with previous research that dark patterns benefit the company and manipulate the users into choices that are not in their best interest. Users’ perceptions of the patterns varied due to different experiences and backgrounds. Some participants were not bothered by some of the dark patterns since they were used to them from other websites, showing a sort of dark pattern-blindness. Some users accepted the dark patterns due to the airline being low-budget. However, some were against the use and did not trust the company. / Denna uppsats syftar till att undersöka hur flygbolag använder dark patterns på sina hemsidor, och hur användare uppfattar dessa dark patterns. Dark patterns är vilseledande designstrategier som drar nytta av användarna genom att integrera vilseledande funktioner i användargränssnittet för att lura användare att göra saker de inte menade. Tidigare taxonomier av dark patterns presenteras, tillsammans med liknande tidigare forskning om dark patterns och användarupplevelse, för att få en förståelse för deras metod. En kvalitativ metod används genom en fallstudie som involverar en innehållsanalys av flygbolagens hemsidor och sedan semistrukturerade intervjuer med användare. Resultaten visar att sex typer av dark patterns kan hittas på flygbolags hemsidor. Dessa är misdirection, nagging, urgency, interface interference, price comparison prevention och forced action. I linje med tidigare forskning visar resultatet att dark patterns gynnar företaget och manipulerar användare till val som inte gynnar deras intresse. Användarnas uppfattningar om dark patterns varierade beroende på olika erfarenheter och bakgrunder. En del var inte besvärade av vissa av dem eftersom de var vana med dem från andra webbsidor, vilket visade en slags dark pattern-blindness. Vissa användare accepterade användningen av dark patterns eftersom flygbolaget var lågbudget. Däremot var vissa användare emot användandet och litade inte på företaget.

Purpose: The effects of deceptive advertising practices on customer loyalty towards mobileservice providers have been investigated empirically by this study. The main contribution ofthis study is to investigate the perceived deception-customer loyalty relationship under themoderating effect of corporate image and mediating effect of customer trust. The study is done in the context of Pakistan’s telecommunication sector.Existing literature is insufficient to explain perceived deception and customer loyalty relationship. We proposed a model to test and explain the interrelationship of deception,trust, loyalty and corporate image. Research Methodology: we have adopted quantitative research method, according to needof our study. A total sample of 232 respondents has been achieved with the help of selfadministeredquestionnaire. Measurement scale for perceived deception were taken fromChaouachi & Rached (2012) and for corporate image, customer trust and customer loyaltyhave been found from Aydin & Özer (2005). Analysis & Findings: Descriptive and inferential statistical tools were used for analysis.Correlation analysis, simple and multiple regression analysis were conducted under theinferential statistical part. The findings have rejected the proposed hypothesis that perceiveddeception is negatively associated with customer trust and loyalty. We found customer trustas a mediator between perceived deception and customer loyalty while corporate imagemoderates the relationship between perceived deception and customer trust. Research Limitations: the study could not achieve highly representative sample of overallpopulation as Facebook was selected to conduct survey due to time constraint. Implications and future research: The study shows that deception in advertising perceivedby customer does not affect trust and loyalty in a negative way which suggests that there areadditional factor that can explain the relationship further. A comparative study withqualitative focus could be revealing in this context.

Technology has become ubiquitous in people’s everyday life. The number of websites and mobile applications available is growing, but so are various persuasive approaches to influence human behavior and decision-making in online environments. While designing for persuasion has many potential benefits, recent years have revealed different deceptive design techniques that utilize the understanding of psychological principles to nudge people in a desired direction. This thesis outlines and explores this phenomenon known as dark patterns, which favors business goals over user values. Practitioners have laid out many deceiving design strategies in the past, but it remains unclear how the end user perceives and experiences them. Therefore, a qualitative method approach was chosen to study the end users’ perspectives on the subject. The analysis of the data shows that even though there was some awareness, many manipulative techniques were unknown. Participants blame the businesses, remark however to be partly responsible for their own fate. In addition, the acceptability of such techniques shifts depending on the respective dark pattern.

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