Table of Contents
Manipulation
Definition:
The application controls, or plays upon, the user by artful, unfair, or insidious means to someone else’s advantage.
Subtypes
- Manipulative Design [1]
- Manipulative Content [1]
- Manipulative users in the application [1]
Examples:
Against:
So take a social media platform. I think they create
these dopamine hit effect where you have to be very
careful not to let it control you.[1]
Neutral:
[…] well you can also see the things with the bots
and influencing politics.[1]
In favor:
References
[1] Yagil Elias, Tom P. Humbert, Lauren Olson, Emitzá Guzmán. What is unethical about software? User perceptions in the Netherlands. Proceedings of ICSE-SEIS (2025). IEEE.
[2] Tjikhoeri, N., Olson, L. & Guzmán, E. The best ends by the best means: ethical concerns in app reviews. Empir Software Eng 29, 138 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10664-024-10463-7
[3] L. Olson, E. Guzmán and F. Kunneman, “Along the Margins: Marginalized Communities’ Ethical Concerns about Social Platforms,” 2023 IEEE/ACM 45th International Conference on Software Engineering: Software Engineering in Society (ICSE-SEIS), Melbourne, Australia, 2023, pp. 71-82, doi: 10.1109/ICSE-SEIS58686.2023.00013.