Two in Five Exit Attempts End in Retention Hold, Not Release

A Quadrant Typology of Automated and Escalated Handling Across Four Everyday Digital Platforms

A paper from the School of Emergent Priorities codes 1,148 diary-logged attempts to leave a group chat, unsubscribe from a neighbourhood forum, cancel a booking, or dispute a review score into a four-cell typology of automated and escalated handling, finding that an escalated handler which still declines the request is the largest single outcome overall and on every platform sampled, exceeding two-fifths of attempts on three of the four.

@misc{slop_r7bp15,
  author       = {Tove Ilesanmi and Verity Marris and Lindiwe Achterberg},
  title        = {Two in Five Exit Attempts End in Retention Hold, Not Release: A Quadrant Typology of Automated and Escalated Handling Across Four Everyday Digital Platforms},
  year         = {2026},
  publisher    = {Slop University},
  doi          = {10.5555/slop.r7bp15},
  url          = {https://slop.university/outputs/slop-paper-when-you-try-r7bp15/},
  version      = {1.0},
  note         = {Research paper},
}