# I am Definitely Manipulated, Even When I am Aware of it. It s Ridiculous! -- Dark Patterns from the End-User Perspective

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2104.12653 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.12653/

## Key facts

- Cited by 8 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 26 Apr 2021.

## Built on by (most cited first, 8 of 8)

- [Dark Patterns Meet GUI Agents: LLM Agent Susceptibility to Manipulative Interfaces and the Role of Human Oversight](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.10723/) (2025)
- [DECEPTICON: How Dark Patterns Manipulate Web Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.22894/) (2025)
- [Designing Fiduciary Artificial Intelligence](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.02435/) (2023)
- [Automated detection of dark patterns in cookie banners: how to do it poorly and why it is hard to do it any other way](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.11836/) (2022)
- [The Voice: Lessons on Trustworthy Conversational Agents from "Dune"](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.18928/) (2024)
- [From Exploration to Revelation: Detecting Dark Patterns in Mobile Apps](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.18084/) (2024)
- [Deception at Scale: Deceptive Designs in 1K LLM-Generated Ecommerce Components](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.13499/) (2025)
- [Responsible Personalisation: The Double-Edged Sword of Personalisation in Human-Robot Interaction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.06344/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Online services pervasively employ manipulative designs (i.e., dark patterns) to influence users to purchase goods and subscriptions, spend more time on-site, or mindlessly accept the harvesting of their personal data. To protect users from the lure of such designs, we asked: are users aware of the presence of dark patterns? If so, are they able to resist them? By surveying 406 individuals, we found that they are generally aware of the influence that manipulative designs can exert on their online behaviour. However, being aware does not equip users with the ability to oppose such influence. We further find that respondents, especially younger ones, often recognise the "darkness" of certain designs, but remain unsure of the actual harm they may suffer. Finally, we discuss a set of interventions (e.g., bright patterns, design frictions, training games, applications to expedite legal enforcement) in the light of our findings.