Jay SchwitzgebelDec 30, 2022
Lauren Weinstein

So in response to my mailing earlier about CNN's bizarre new "click [the close window] X to accept" pop-up, I'm getting folks again sending me "oh, this extension would block that" or "this app hides that" responses.

I don't know how often I have to say this, but here we are again.

I am utterly disinterested in workarounds for "dark patterns" -- and such pop-ups are examples of what might be categorized that way. I am uninterested in ad blockers.

I *am* interested in trying to make sure that such pop-ups and ads that are abusive not be presented in the first place -- because most people are going to see them when they are present, because most people aren't techies who know how to workaround this stuff.

Techies (including me) can take care of ourselves. It's time that more techies started thinking beyond themselves to what these experiences are like for less technical folks faced with these interfaces.

Best, -L

Dec 29, 2022 at 10:25pmWeb
Show threadLauren WeinsteinDec 30, 2022
And I'll add, saying stuff like "Oh, just don't go to CNN!" is basically offensive. The same kind of stuff that we see on support forums when someone asks a programming question and the response is, "Don't use that crummy language!" or asks for help with Windows and gets "Don't use those horrible Microsoft products".
Show threadVance MaverickDec 30, 2022
@lauren So just don't post on forums that are like that! /s
Show threadIan K TindaleDec 30, 2022
@lauren …or, "why do you want to use CMI?"
Show threadAngryYukkuriDec 30, 2022
@lauren correct spelling on such forums is "micro$oft"
Show threadStephen FierbaughDec 29, 2022
@lauren Yeah, that CNN popup weirded me out too. I haven't clicked it. Other than the waste of screenspace, it doesn't seem to do much. Totally agree about dark patterns.
Show threadBarry Schwartz 🫖Dec 30, 2022
@lauren Workarounds are just things you need workarounds to work around.
Show threadMichael Katzmann🐈Dec 30, 2022

@lauren People are bad at handling complexity. There are generally always a myriad of reasons to use one platform, one programming language or, in this case, on news site. It may come to a point where the cumulative annoyances or problems makes it worth changing but that's not generally the first action. (and it's not like that is something that you wouldn't have already considered)

As H.L.Mencken wrote "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong."