Definition
Nagging is a form of adversarial resource depletion. Every time an app or a website interrupts the user with a request to do something, this depletes the user's time and attention. This is like a tax that the provider imposes on users who do not want to comply with the provider's wishes. Although the cost is non-financial, it adds up and eventually becomes non-trivial. At this point the user may decide that it’s more cost effective to just give in and agree to whatever the provider is asking for, even if it is against their best interests.
Example
In 2018, Instagram aggressively nagged users to turn on notifications, repeating this regularly over a period of months. Users were not able to reject the request entirely – their only option to reject was "Not Now", which allowed the nagging to continue. (Reported by Gray et al., 2018. Image source: guidingtech.com)
References
Nagging (Gray et al., 2018).
Related laws
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Related cases
Compliance order and reprimand
£36,000 in fines