Nobody wants to be a fool, but many companies out there treat us like we are. The dark and deceptive patterns that we highlight on Spring are techniques used by these companies to have us glued to our screens or make it easy to forget to cancel a subscription.
With this post it's time to take back control of your digital life to make sure you don’t miss out on more important things like emotional health, physical exercise, relationships and other goodies that a non-digital life has to offer.
Here are some specific strategies, along with tips and tricks, used by the founders of Spring that you can implement today. Ultimately, we love many of the products and services that we mention in this post, but we don’t necessarily love their business practices.
1. Disable Auto-Play Features - Today
Level of priority: VERY HIGH — Platforms: YouTube, Spotify
The cost of not doing it: Your time slips away from you and instead of doing something productive or physical/healthy you're sucked into a meaningless spiral of content which is EXACTLY what they want you to do.
The payoff if you do: You suddenly have time you didn’t have before. That YouTube clip or Netflix episode is transformed into a walk, an omelet, or a phone call to mum. Trust us, it’s worth it.
Steps: Navigate to the settings menu and find the playback options to turn off auto-play. This prevents the platform from automatically playing the next video or song, helping you manage your time and attention better.
Action: Turn off auto-play on your favorite apps now. YouTube and Spotify examples below.
YouTube has made it easier to stop auto-play. Just look for this toggle on any video.
Spotify is trickier, but these instructions make it easy to not auto-play those amazing podcasts.
2. Set Time Limits for Social Media Use
Level of priority: EXTREMELY HIGH — Platforms: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook
The cost of not doing it: The dreaded infinite scroll is responsible for killing years of precious time and in all likelihood supporting the decline of your mental health or worse, keeping you away from your dreams and a life fully lived.
The payoff if you do: Again, this time buys you space to think, create stuff, learn new things, and do something physical like do some pushups or go for a walk.
Tools: Use built-in tools like Instagram’s “Your Activity” or third-party apps to set daily limits. Once the limit is reached, the app notifies you to take a break, helping you avoid endless scrolling.
Action: You want to do it now, just follow the instructions below.
Easy steps to start to manage your time using Instagram's own tools. There are many third part apps that do more if you want more control.
TikTok has more advanced controls than Instagram. Step by step instructions about using them above.
3. Identify and Avoid Misleading Ads
Level of priority: LOW — Platforms: Any with native advertising (e.g., news sites, social media).
The cost of not doing it: You allow yourself to be misled and occasionally click on an ad thinking it’s an article. It’s more annoying than dangerous.
The payoff if you do: It feels good to be smarter than the advertisers. Nobody wants to be a sucker.
Action: Take a closer look at the labels; ads often have small disclaimers like "sponsored" or "ad", but sometimes they don’t. Send the platform you're on feedback and tell them you don't appreciate them misleading you. Your voice matters.
Cancelling an account is more of a challenge. Illustration: Mark Woodward
4. Adjust Privacy Settings
Level of priority: HIGH — Platforms: Facebook, Google, Twitter and everything else
The cost of not doing it: You are sharing so much more than you think. Companies have thousands of data points on you and that’s why they can so accurately serve you ads that make you think that they are listening to you. You are so much more predictable than you think (sorry to break it to you).
The payoff if you do: You become aware of how much information you are sharing and start to make controlled choices about what you want to share and gain a sense of control over your digital footprint.
Action: Regularly review your privacy settings to limit what data you share. Opt-out of data sharing settings that aren’t essential to the service.
5. Manage Subscriptions and Avoid Forced Continuity
Level of priority: MEDIUM — Example: Subscription services, online memberships, apps, news sites.
The cost of not doing it: Well, it’s always monetary as your card will get charged and it can be very frustrating and good luck trying to get your money back.
Action: Set reminders a few days before free trials end. Check if subscriptions are easy to cancel before signing up. Use virtual credit cards that can be easily managed or deactivated. And here's a good hack for iPhone users. When you sign up for a free trial immediately go to your subscriptions (just type it into your search bar in settings) and cancel. You can still use the app for the trial period and you won't be charged at the end of the period (Apple hate unlocked).
Perhaps a little dramatic, but It’s time to metaphorically blow up the technology narrative and usher in a new era of healthy and non-toxic technology.
As we close this chapter on dark patterns, remember that reclaiming your digital sovereignty is not just about fighting back; it’s about setting the stage for a richer, more fulfilling life beyond the screen.
Each step you take, from disabling auto-play to adjusting your privacy settings, is a step towards a more intentional and empowered life. Bring the people you care about onto this journey where technology serves us instead of deplete us.
So, let’s not wait for the world to change; let’s change our world, one setting, one click, one mindful moment at a time.
How likely are you to do something about what you have just read?