End-User License Agreements or EULAs - the long block of text you have to click an "I agree" button on every time you install something on your computer, phone or whatever. We've all skipped them, we never read them. Anyone read a EULA for pleasure? Didn't think so. In the process of getting my smartphone tooled up for some serious power usage with some neat little apps like GroceryIQ, I encountered a few and actually took the time to skim through them (I read very quickly) for a change as I've been doing for a little while. So what's the story here?
South Park's (very clever if graphic) Human CentiPad episode that I caught a re-run of fairly recently had a rather good message about this. Kyle does the same thing we all do - clicks through a EULA without reading it. Of course, this time his failure to read the EULA has the unintended consequence of agreeing to participate in Steve Jobs' revolutionary new product launch Human CentiPad (a parody of the infamous Human Centipede movie, naturally). Multiple times through the episode, Steve Jobs gives Kyle the opportunity to opt out - only to scream "You didn't read it!" upon receiving agreement from Kyle.
Naturally, the South Park episode is a ridiculous example of what could happen if we click "I agree" without reading, but at the same time it made a very good point: We as "end users" (including myself) are incredibly lazy to the point where we don't bother to read this stuff since it's naturally a bunch of "Don't sue us" legalese. That, and it is incredibly hard to read a bunch of tiny text in an even smaller text box.
This kind of thing would have gone straight over my head if it had been couched as a bland public service message or something, but South Park's humorous approach to it really stuck with me. I remember after I saw the episode originally a few months back, I got an update from Apple for QuickTime on my laptop at home. I promptly clicked through the EULA...and almost as promptly said "You didn't read it!" as soon as I realized what I did. I should really start paying more attention. So, I definitely have to give props to South Park for making a point that actually stuck with me (and hopefully a few other viewers here and there).
Justin is an early 30s geek and writer who spends most of his waking hours tanning by the soothing white light of a computer screen. He blogs on various aspects of tech including the Internet, gadgets, console gaming and computer hardware/software. All opinions (both fallacious and spot-on) are strictly his and do not reflect the views of his fine employers. Visit his tech blog to read more!
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