unclick
{{Short description|Term in the context of computing}}
File:Hotel booking checkbox example.png
File:Checkbox States.svg element in which a computer user can make multiple selections from an array of options.]]
File:VirtualBox Windows Chicago 11 11 2023 10 43 00 radio buttons.png; one option must be selected.{{cite book |last1=Flanagan |first1=David |title=JavaScript: The Definitive Guide |date=2002 |publisher="O'Reilly Media, Inc." |isbn=978-0-596-00048-6 |page=638 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vJGlu9t9LNYC |language=en}}]]
In computer interface design, to unclick is to deselect a specific preference,{{cite news
|author= James Coates
|title= Quickly make icons as pretty as a picture
|newspaper= Chicago Tribune
|quote=
|date= August 27, 2001
|url= http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-08-27/business/0108270010_1_change-icon-windows-desktop-windows-media-player/2
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150515104932/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-08-27/business/0108270010_1_change-icon-windows-desktop-windows-media-player/2
|url-status= dead
|archive-date= May 15, 2015
|accessdate= 2012-01-07
|author= TARA SIEGEL BERNARD
|title= MarketRiders Tweaks Its Investment Mix
|newspaper= The New York Times
|quote=
|date= September 1, 2011
|url= http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/marketriders-tweaks-its-investment-mix/
|accessdate= 2012-01-04
}} typically by tapping a selected checkbox with a finger or cursor. As a result, the check mark image or dark circle inside the box is removed.
Background
As the Internet becomes an increasingly popular medium for marketers, vendors and marketers often presume that a user will prefer certain choices,{{cite news
|author= JASON FRY
|title= Thoughts on Kids and the Net: Readers Offer Thoughts on When Children Should Be Introduced to the Digital World
|newspaper= Wall Street Journal
|quote=
|date= March 31, 2008
|url= https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB120689967537175059
|accessdate= 2012-01-07
|author= Lee Dembart
|title= the end user / A voice for the consumer : You, on radio
|newspaper= The New York Times
|quote=
|date= August 26, 2002
|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/26/business/worldbusiness/26iht-itend26_ed3_.html
|accessdate= 2012-01-07
}} 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{{cite news
|author= North American Precis Syndicate NJ.com
|title= Steering Clear Of Deceptive Online Marketing
|work= nj.com
|quote=
|date= January 4, 2010
|url= http://blog.nj.com/north_american_precis_syndicate/2010/01/steering_clear_of_deceptive_online_marketing.html
|accessdate= 2012-01-04
}} to avoid exposure to unwanted advertising,{{cite news
|author= Brian Bergstein, AP Technology Editor
|title= How can I make my computer run faster, for free?
|newspaper= USA Today
|quote=
|date= October 1, 2008
|url= https://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2008-10-01-1355234940_x.htm
|accessdate= 2012-01-04
}} or to avoid a situation in which a different website is chosen for one's home page.{{cite news
|author= Rob Freeman
|title= Click Tips: Making XP look like Vista
|work= BBC News
|quote=
|date= 25 September 2007
|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/mobile/programmes/click_online/7012126.stm
|accessdate= 2012-01-07
}}
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.{{cite news
|author= Shannon Montgomery, of The Canadian Press
|title= Lawsuit says Facebook changes sold as making info secure had opposite effect
|work= The Star
|quote=
|date= July 2, 2010
|url= https://www.thestar.com/mobile/canada/article/831597
|accessdate= 2012-01-04
}} According to behavioral economics, computer and Internet users have a general tendency to go along with a default setting.
{{Further|Opt-out}}
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,{{cite news
|author= John Miller
|title= Life Is Adventure: Postcards from Rio de Janeiro
|publisher= Brazzil
|quote=
|date= December 1998
|url= http://www.brazzil.com/p40dec98.htm
|accessdate= 2012-01-07
}} or seat belts in a car{{cite news
|author= The Gazette (Montreal)
|title= FJ Cruiser makes landfall
|publisher= Canada.com
|quote=
|date= April 19, 2006
|url= http://www.canada.com/story_print.html?id=ec00fb90-6c2b-469c-93c4-6d7e3a14286d&sponsor=
|accessdate= 2012-01-07
|author= Cynthia Lee
|title= New Jersey car seat laws: Which seat is best for your child?
|newspaper= The Star-Ledger
|quote=
|date= October 14, 2011
|url= http://www.nj.com/parenting/guest_bloggers/index.ssf/2011/09/new_jersey_car_seat_laws_which.html
|accessdate= 2012-01-07
}} or airplane,{{cite news
|author= Ron Alexander
|title= Metropolitan Diary
|newspaper= The New York Times
|quote=
|date= December 18, 1991
|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/18/garden/metropolitan-diary-010891.html
|accessdate= 2012-01-07
}} or door lock,{{cite news
|author= Burnaby Now
|title= If the shoe fits: Christmas came early for the trio of Sandra McLellan, Sarah Dadey and Jason McLellan
|publisher= canada.com
|quote=
|date= April 28, 2009
|url= http://www.canada.com/story_print.html?id=500315e3-a4f1-4011-b2d4-300952283871&sponsor=
|accessdate= 2012-01-07
}} 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",{{cite news
|author= Arundhati Roy
|title= Gandhi, but with guns: Part Five
|newspaper= The Guardian
|quote=
|date= 26 March 2010
|url= https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/mar/27/arundhati-roy-india-tribal-maoists-5
|accessdate= 2012-01-07
}} or flooring materials in which pieces are interlocked,{{cite news
|author= Adele Evans
|title= It's underfoot, but important: Floor: An upgrade can make a home distinctive, but choosing the right material and pattern doesn't come easy.
|newspaper= Baltimore Sun
|quote=
|date= October 14, 2001
|url= https://www.baltimoresun.com/2001/10/14/its-underfoot-but-important/
|access-date= 2012-01-07
}} The term has been used to describe the act of answering a cell phone by pressing on a button when it is ringing.{{cite news
|author= Lynn Hirschberg
|title= The Samaha Formula for Hollywood Success
|newspaper= The New York Times
|quote=
|date= May 14, 2000
|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/14/magazine/the-samaha-formula-for-hollywood-success.html?pagewanted=all
|accessdate= 2012-01-07
}}