I started a new job with Automattic at the beginning of this month and started my own small Blue Tape List to be revisited in a month or two.
Creeping design decisions have led to a world where our constant presence is expected, friends can look up your location at the press of a button, and interruptions abound. The post provides some interesting historical context about these features. Product designers should consider the dichotomy between privacy and engagement in modern products. Perhaps more importantly, users should be aware of these issues so they know of the alternatives.
The story of the online status, typing indicators, and read receipts is a story about the unresolved and ever ongoing tension between privacy and engagement.
I believe most products we use today are designed with good intentions. But I also believe that designing with good intentions is no longer enough.
It’s knowing you can go online without having to fear what our online status may reveal about you. It’s about liking someone’s photo without the anxiety of being called out for it. And above anything, it’s about reading a message, without feeling guilty of not sending an immediate response.
📱 Twelve Million Phones, One Dataset, Zero Privacy
The insights gleaned from the phone location data NYTimes obtained are astonishing. There are also good tips to protect yourself, including limiting ad tracking, which is off by default on iOS. I hope Apple continues to provide additional features that enhance privacy.
Between this story and Micro-Privacy above, no one should be advocating for further encroachments on Privacy and it should be up to the platforms to enforce these limitations. Product designers simply have no incentive to do so.
📼 136 Internet Videos That Blew My Mind
Video recommendations from Joe Sabia a video producer who created several YouTube video series including Wired’s Autocomplete Interviews
Some of my favorites of these:
I’d add Tim Rogers’ Kotaku reviews to this list (in particular Dragon Quest XI review and Games of the Decade).
