Illuminating Muscle Memory’s Sinister Side: A Social Media Case Study

Abstract

When a task is repeated, it becomes part of procedural memory. This type of memory dedicated to movement is called “muscle memory”, which allows one to perform actions unconsciously. Within the context of social media, muscle memory builds up if one uses SM applications frequently. In this paper, we investigate the effects of muscle memory within Instagram, and report the following findings: We designed a user study examining speed and accuracy of using a newly changed interface which showed slower reaction time and more errors. Combining these results with users’ perceived feelings lead us to conclude that in specific UX interface changes muscle memory can be applied as a dark pattern.