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Illusive Design Pattern
Vortex

Auto-playing videos, countdowns and recommendations all contribute to the never-ending vortex.
Description
Enable habit-forming addictions for engagement.
Examples
- Users feel that they are sucked into a never-ending time-consuming vortex of content and notifications generated by recommendation algorithms.
- Anxiety through interacting with algorithm because of recommendations.
- Videos highlighting the most stressful, out of context moments with context switching.
- Algorithms that intimidate the user by showing content that is too advanced for their ability.
Post-AI Altruheuristics
Biases
- Algorithmic Bias
- Salience Bias
- Negativity Bias
- Anchoring Bias
- Hyperbolic Discounting
- FOMO
- Loss Aversion
- Survivorship Bias
- Availability Bias
Biology
- Dopamine: Constant overstimulation of the brain leads to increased pain afterwards, loss of motivation and resilience.
- Anxiety: Most popular or trending tend to be the most outrageous.
- Stress: Outrageous content can contain violence or negative news.
- Comparison: Manufactured highlight reels leads to low esteem.
- Habits: Constantly checking phone or impulsively scrolling becomes habitual due to addiction.
- Gratification: Instant rewards leads to impulsivity due to dopamine.
- Compassion: Outrageous content in the minority leads to a lack of compassion.
- Flow: Easy to access if meaningful things get hard.
- Values and Boundaries: The recommendation algorithm is only concerned with trending, most engagement, outrageous content.
- Escapism: Easy to access due to the reward pathway.
CBT Distortions
- Jumping to Conclusions e.g. (availability bias) These events feel like they’re happening everywhere.
- Overgeneralization e.g. What’s wrong with people?
- Mental Filtering: e.g. (negativity bias) The world is bad.
- Always Being Right: e.g. Arguing online.
Circ's Principles
- Balance: Always think about keeping the user in allostasis.
- Esteem: Respect the values & boundaries or the user.
- Transparency: Reduce anxiety by removing uncertainty and explaining algorithm updates.
- Expectations: Reduce stress by providing control and reassurance of outcome.
Mental Health
- Depression: Avoid comparison, highlight reels and distorted realities.
- Chronic Stress: Avoid repetitive stimulation using outrage.
- Chronic Anxiety: Avoid the state of uncertainty and provide reassurance.
- ADHD: Avoid impulsive habit forming interactions and context switching.
Pre-AI Heuristics
Dark Patterns
None.
Gestalt
None.
Graphic Design
- Proximity: More content generated with infinite scrolling.
Don Norman Principles
- Constraints: There are no constraints on time usage. Studies suggest that mental health declines after more than 2 hours of usage.
Jakob Nielson Principles
None.