They're annoying clutter, but I don't think it falls under "dark pattern" because you can ignore it, there's no requirement to interact with it. Dark patterns g

They're annoying clutter, but I don't think it falls under "dark pattern" because you can ignore it, there's no requirement to interact with it. Dark patterns guide you down a path you don't need to go. This particular one on the Author Clock site is from monto.io > social-proof.