Unclick

A menu box from an Internet screen showing which preferences are in effect. By using a mouse or graphical pointer, a user can move a cursor over selected terms, and un-check or unclick specific choices, if the software permits it.

A Checkbox is a graphical user interface element in which a computer user can make multiple selections from an array of options.

If a computer user unclicks a radio button, then no options are selected. In this example, the item "Cat" is selected.

Unclick is a term, increasingly applied in the context of computing, in which a computer user un-chooses or de-selects a specific preference,^[1][2] typically by moving a cursor over a selection, and pressing the left mouse button. As a result, the check mark image or dark circle inside a Checkbox or a Radio button is removed.^[3] While in January 2012 the term unclick is generally not formally defined in dictionaries,^[4][5] the term has been used in popular parlance in countries such as the United States,^[6] Britain,^[7] and Canada.^[8]

Background

As the Internet becomes an increasingly popular medium for marketers, vendors and marketers often presume that a user will prefer certain choices,^[6][9] such as receiving emails in the future, having specific computer settings, or preferring that specific programs will be operational when a computer is turned on. As a result, it is sometimes necessary for a user to unclick these choices^[10] to avoid exposure to unwanted advertising,^[11] or to avoid a situation in which a different website is chosen for one's home page.^[7] In Internet marketing, unclicking is often required for a user to avoid being billed automatically for unnecessary services, sometimes part of a deceptive business practice termed negative option billing. A user's Facebook privacy settings have often been chosen in advance by Facebook Inc., which presumes that a user would like particular settings, and to un-choose these options, a user may need to unclick or opt-out of the Facebook-determined choices by finding the right menus.^[12] According to behavioral economics, computer and Internet users have a general tendency to go along with a default setting.

Other contexts

The term unclick has also been used in other contexts, such as when there is a latching or locking mechanism, such as a lock on a briefcase,^[13] or seat belts in a car^[8][14] or airplane,^[15] or door lock,^[16] or other mechanisms which typically make a "clicking" sound. In these contexts, unclicking means to open the latch or seat belt. It has also been used in the context of guns, in which a safety catch is "unclicked",^[17] or flooring materials in which pieces are interlocked,^[18] The term has been used to describe the act of answering a cell phone by pressing on a button when it is ringing.^[19]

References