lock-ins

Lock-ins are situations where switching to an alternative becomes difficult or costly, even if the alternative might be better.

The term appears in technology, business, and economics: vendor lock-in makes it expensive to change software providers, the lock-in effect keeps users on outdated platforms.

A lock-in is also an event, often for youth groups, where participants stay overnight in a building: The church is hosting a lock-in for the teenagers this Friday.