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I wrote a browser extension last year to hide like counts and such from the sites I visit and it definitely changes your browsing behavior for the better. React

I wrote a browser extension last year to hide like counts and such from the sites I visit and it definitely changes your browsing behavior for the better. Reacting to those vanity numbers is similar to slowing down to rubberneck. Here's the repo if anyone is interested. I still use it to this day but haven't worked on it in a while cuz I'm learning rust. https://github.com/a13o/disengaged https://github.com/a13o/disengaged

latexr 7y ago
Instead of an extension that only works in one browser, why not a blocklist that can be loaded into most adblockers? There’s an adblock filter for comments[1] which works pretty well. This is thematically similar. [1]: https://mute.bradconte.com/ https://mute.bradconte.com/
- gxwmg 7y ago
  ...or a greasemonkey script. I'm definitely not installing an extension just for this.
  - sinemetu11 7y ago
    ...or a modified hosts file.
  - tablethnuser 7y ago
    A set of greasemonkey scripts could work but my intended audience is more casual than greasemonkey users. Having a curated set of scripts bundled into its own extension makes the marketing story and installation flow easier. I also think the security will be better on my extension. You have to give greasemonkey edit permissions for all websites whereas I have a PR in the works where you only grant permission to the sites you want to disengage from. Even now it only asks for permissions to the subset of sites it modifies. Due to the nature of how web extension manifest permissioning works, greasemonkey can't offer this. If you look at their permission model it says "This add-on can: Access your data for all websites". IMO that's way more dangerous than your paranoia about a new extension with tight permissions.
- Funes- 7y ago
  "Why not" doing it yourself, then?
  - latexr 7y ago
    Because I have no interest in it, nor have I expressed any. I posed a question (with my reasoning), not a criticism.
- tablethnuser 7y ago
  I'm actually modifying the site DOM to remove the dark patterns. There's no request for remote content that I can block in most (all?) cases. This is fundamentally different than an ad blocker. It's closer to a curated selection of grease monkey scripts
NikkiA 7y ago
The change as a function of the site owner's decision, however, would hopefully have a chilling effect on people's need for social reinforcement in the form of like chasing, and the associated cases of suicide that have happened as a result of not getting that reinforcement. I suspect that's where instagram is aiming, and they probably see a point nearing where that'll be forced on them by european government(s) attempting to reduce the amount of high profile 'social media' suicide. An optional opt-in system like your implementation is great, but sadly doesn't tackle that problem.
- dman 7y ago
  Am not sure if you are joking. As someone who does not use social media much, are people so hooked that withdrawal would cause them to commit suicide?
  - your-nanny 7y ago
    I don't think that that is what was meant. When your social media activity doesnt earn likes is an example of not receiving reinforcenent. Social media is both seen as contributory to rising suicide rates among youth, and integrated into suicide attempts (eg live broadcast)
criddell 7y ago
I use like/dislike in my news reader to tell it what kinds of stories I like or don't like and it seems to do a pretty great job of finding me stuff I want to read. On sites like this one, I don't cast a lot of votes up or down with one exception. If I post a comment, I upvote every single reply for two reasons. One, I'm happy that somebody chose to reply and two, it helps me keep track of new replies. It might be a misuse of the voting system here, but as far as I can see, there isn't a better way of spotting replies.

latexr 7y ago

Instead of an extension that only works in one browser, why not a blocklist that can be loaded into most adblockers? There’s an adblock filter for comments[1] which works pretty well. This is thematically similar. [1]: https://mute.bradconte.com/ https://mute.bradconte.com/

gxwmg 7y ago
...or a greasemonkey script. I'm definitely not installing an extension just for this.
- sinemetu11 7y ago
  ...or a modified hosts file.
- tablethnuser 7y ago
  A set of greasemonkey scripts could work but my intended audience is more casual than greasemonkey users. Having a curated set of scripts bundled into its own extension makes the marketing story and installation flow easier. I also think the security will be better on my extension. You have to give greasemonkey edit permissions for all websites whereas I have a PR in the works where you only grant permission to the sites you want to disengage from. Even now it only asks for permissions to the subset of sites it modifies. Due to the nature of how web extension manifest permissioning works, greasemonkey can't offer this. If you look at their permission model it says "This add-on can: Access your data for all websites". IMO that's way more dangerous than your paranoia about a new extension with tight permissions.
Funes- 7y ago
"Why not" doing it yourself, then?
- latexr 7y ago
  Because I have no interest in it, nor have I expressed any. I posed a question (with my reasoning), not a criticism.
tablethnuser 7y ago
I'm actually modifying the site DOM to remove the dark patterns. There's no request for remote content that I can block in most (all?) cases. This is fundamentally different than an ad blocker. It's closer to a curated selection of grease monkey scripts

NikkiA 7y ago

The change as a function of the site owner's decision, however, would hopefully have a chilling effect on people's need for social reinforcement in the form of like chasing, and the associated cases of suicide that have happened as a result of not getting that reinforcement. I suspect that's where instagram is aiming, and they probably see a point nearing where that'll be forced on them by european government(s) attempting to reduce the amount of high profile 'social media' suicide. An optional opt-in system like your implementation is great, but sadly doesn't tackle that problem.

dman 7y ago
Am not sure if you are joking. As someone who does not use social media much, are people so hooked that withdrawal would cause them to commit suicide?
- your-nanny 7y ago
  I don't think that that is what was meant. When your social media activity doesnt earn likes is an example of not receiving reinforcenent. Social media is both seen as contributory to rising suicide rates among youth, and integrated into suicide attempts (eg live broadcast)

criddell 7y ago

I use like/dislike in my news reader to tell it what kinds of stories I like or don't like and it seems to do a pretty great job of finding me stuff I want to read. On sites like this one, I don't cast a lot of votes up or down with one exception. If I post a comment, I upvote every single reply for two reasons. One, I'm happy that somebody chose to reply and two, it helps me keep track of new replies. It might be a misuse of the voting system here, but as far as I can see, there isn't a better way of spotting replies.