Technology
“Let us not struggle to match an imperfect legal system to an evolving world . . . . Let us do what is essential to permit the participants in this evolving world to make their own decisions” - Judge Frank Easterbrook
Tech is Not a Panacea
Technology is powerful.
One of its most significant benefits is strengthening existing connections and fostering new ones. As I moved away from home to begin my career, technology allowed me to stay close to my family through texts, calls, and mail trucks.
But technology can also be dangerous. In society, we embrace “techno-solutionism,” a desire to promote technological solutions as simple and flawless answers to deeply complex societal issues.
In the paper by Professors Yolanda Ranki, Jakita Thomas, and Sheena Erete, I Can’t Breathe: Reflections from Black Women in CSCW and HCI, they caution:
“As a word of caution, it is naïve to think that technology alone can be a panacea for systemic oppression, since technology can only amplify what already exists within society.”
Consider the 2011 Reinvent the Toilet Challenge, launched by Bill Gates. The challenge was an international entrepreneurship initiative to spur new toilet inventions that could effectively manage human waste.
The winner? Caltech’s solar-powered toilet that uses the sun to power an electrochemical reactor that costs $1,000.
The initiative was in the right mind, but for the rural communities that need such solutions most, where people often make only a few dollars a day, these inventions are impractical.
This is the value of bringing systems design and community-centered design into tech conversations. By shifting the narrative so designers act as supporters rather than the sole creators, community members — who best understand their needs—can lead in designing solutions that genuinely work for them.
Dark Patterns
Deceptive patterns, also known as “dark patterns,” are subtle tricks used in websites and apps to nudge users into actions they might not have taken otherwise. It ranges from annoying things like fake urgency, where a website insists you must act quickly to buy a product, to more concerning tactics like repeated prompts to allow location tracking.
As the Dark (Patterns) Side of UX Design describes it:
“Design is inherently a persuasive act, where the designer creates intentional change in the world that either directly or indirectly induces behavioral or social change.”
The best strategy to fight these patterns is to stay informed. Check out Dr. Harry Brignull’s informative Deceptive Patterns website, which includes types of patterns and a “Hall of Shame.”