Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy Jan 2023 web Open Access

Deceptive by Design: The Visual Rhetoric of Dark Patterns

Eric York

Abstract

This webtext develops a dual theory of dark patterns based in the ancient concept of mêtis, or rhetorical cunning, and the Gestalt principles of visual design related to optical illusion and perspective. This theory is used to interpret dark patterns of six representative types to show how it can support a reading of other deceptive texts and web interfaces more broadly.

Journal
Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy
Published
2023-01
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Open Access
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Topics
rhetorical criticism multimodality
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