Retention vs. manipulation

Retention focuses on keeping users engaged through genuine value, while manipulation uses psychological tricks to create artificial dependency. Ethical retention strategies help users accomplish their goals, making them want to return. Manipulative tactics exploit cognitive biases to keep users engaged regardless of whether the product serves their actual needs.

Common manipulative tactics include infinite scroll that removes natural stopping points, artificial urgency through fake scarcity, and variable reward schedules designed to create compulsive checking behavior. These patterns prioritize engagement metrics over user well-being and often leave people feeling like they've wasted time rather than accomplished something meaningful.

Ethical retention builds on utility and satisfaction. Users return because your product helps them solve problems, collaborate effectively, or achieve their goals. Measure retention alongside value metrics like task completion rates or user-reported satisfaction. If people keep using your product but report feeling frustrated or manipulated, your retention strategy needs rethinking. Strong retention should correlate with users feeling their time was well spent.