How Websites Trick You Using ‘Dark Patterns’

About this episode

This episode explores how dark patterns in web design manipulate users into unwanted actions.

Why does it seem so difficult to cancel an online subscription, delete an account, or opt out of data tracking? You might think it’s just bad luck or a confusing online interface, but more often than not, it’s by design. In this episode of Big Brains, we speak with Marshini Chetty, Professor in the University of Chicago’s Department of Computer Science. As a leading expert in human-computer interaction, Chetty reveals the science behind "dark patterns” online—the subtle, manipulative design choices woven into the apps and websites we use every day. We explore how these deceptive interfaces weaponize human psychology to keep us clicking, spending and sharing our data.

People in this episode

Guest: Marshini Chetty

Topics covered

• dark patterns
• human-computer interaction
• online subscriptions
• data tracking
• deceptive design

Keywords

• dark patterns
• online design
• human psychology
• subscription cancellation
• data privacy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Chicago, University of Chicago’s Department of Computer Science

More episodes of Big Brains

• Quantum Technology, Explained: A Big Brains Live Event · May 28, 2026 · 40 min
• Our Untapped Superpower: Connecting With Others, with Nicholas Epley · May 14, 2026 · 39 min
• Why the Fed Matters Now More Than Ever, with Douglas Diamond · April 30, 2026 · 37 min
• Anxious? Avoidant? How to Build More Secure Relationships · April 16, 2026 · 37 min
• Could AI Models Forecast Extreme Weather Events? with Pedram Hassanzadeh · April 2, 2026 · 35 min
• Are Judges Too Powerful? The Rise of Universal Injunctions, with Samuel Bray · March 19, 2026 · 40 min