@amy I mean, its not really emulating dark patterns since this isn't a "Share Contacts" modal on the main feed, you need to actively navigate to Settings -> Connect Mastodon then Connect your account by logging in.
If you don't do these steps, you won't be found or recommended friends, since you never connected.
Would you agree it's not the same as opting to share your Contacts with Facebook? Most Mastodon accounts are public, so are the following collections, I don't think its a dark pattern