Are you fooled by interactivity? The effects of interactivity on privacy disclosure

Interactive features have become ubiquitous in mobile apps as they compete for users’ attention. This raises an important question: Is interactivity a ‘dark pattern’, tricking users into giving away their personal information without thinking about consequences? Are some types of interactivity more persuasive than others? We addressed these questions with a 2 (message interactivity: low, high) X 3 (modality interactivity: absence, low, high) between-subjects experiment (N = 216) designed to test hypotheses derived from the Theory of Interactive Media Effects (TIME) and the Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM) of information processing. Our data show that both modality interactivity and message interactivity had positive effects on attitudes toward the app and intentions to use it by directing users’ attention away from privacy concerns to heightened perceived playfulness. We discuss the ethical implications of the double-edged nature of interactive technology for both users and developers.