Mass-produced software is stealing your agency, but malleable software can give it back
Malleable software: Restoring user agency in a world of locked-down apps (2025)
Ink & Switch argues that rigid, mass-produced software erodes user agency, citing examples like doctors forced to fill irrelevant fields in electronic medical records and teams abandoning flexible processes when moving to web-based trackers. They propose malleable software: an ecosystem where anyone can adapt their tools with minimal friction, going beyond settings, plugins, mods, and open source. They also discuss whether AI-assisted coding can finally democratize software creation.
In the physical world, the act of crafting our environments comes naturally, because physical reality is malleable.