Writings — Refia Sena Çelik

Writings

Dark Patterns, Algorithmic Manipulation, and Culture in Digital Design
2026 · University of Europe for Applied Sciences · MA Thesis
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Martin Thiering & Prof. Dr. Till Julian Huss

Examines dark patterns as technologies of behavioural governance embedded in everyday digital platforms. Drawing on Foucault's governmentality, Rouvroy and Berns' algorithmic governmentality, and Byung-Chul Han's psychopolitics, the thesis analyses Duolingo,
Headspace, and Amazon Alexa as case studies of how manipulation operates through environment, prediction, and affect.

The Intersection of Dark Patterns and the Political Dimension of
Digital Manipulation
2025 · University of Europe for Applied Sciences · Ethics & Digital

Explores how deceptive UI design and algorithmic bias function as tools of political manipulation. Analyses The Great Hack and Coded
Bias to argue that dark patterns and systemic algorithmic bias operate as intertwined mechanisms of behavioural control, shaping public
opinion and democratic outcomes.

From Tradition to Speculation: Time and Space in Cultural Contexts
2025 · University of Europe for Applied Sciences · Design Research Methodologies

Examines how cultural perceptions of time - cyclical, linear, and fluid - shape speculative design practice. Applies Bhabha's Third Space
theory through case studies on Zaha Hadid's Heydar Aliyev Center and video games Journey and Death Stranding.