Nearly once every week I click my phone on, open my messages app, and immediately click my phone right back off. This same thing happens with emails, Snapchats, and GroupMe messages. The ease of connection in our world in incredible. I’m not sure I would survive college without the ability to call or text my parents when I get the urge. Technology makes maintaining relationships with my friends across the country so much easier, too. However, there are major downsides to the amount of notifications I receive everyday. Personally, I find it overwhelming to see that I have 45 text notifications. There is something about knowing I must respond that makes this feel like somewhat of a burden. Additionally, when I’ve been M.I.A. in a group chat all day, messages add up fast, they get to be in the hundreds. When this is the case, whether I want to or not, I feel like I have to read through to catch up and instantly, the glory of being able to send and receive text messages becomes a dreaded job.
At least once daily, I open my personal email and scroll through the countless promotional emails I receive. Similar to messages, I am usually overwhelmed. The difference is that when scrolling through my emails, my eye is almost always caught by an ad for a sale or a subject line that seems too good to be true, but click worthy, nonetheless. Usually my initial click, leads to more clicks, and eventually I end up shopping for things I don’t need. The difference between emails and text messages is that emails are specifically curated to catch the eye of the reader. This is loosely known as attention economy, a phrase that encapsulates the recent race for our attentions which are now viewed as scarce commodities. Companies will pursue seemingly any tactic that prolongs engagement with their website or app. Despite my dislike for the many emails I receive daily, I am one of the first to admit that these tactics catch my attention. I am giving the people what they want.
Though I find occasional discomfort in the amount of notifications I receive, I would not like a life without my phone. For me, and I’m sure many others, my phone provides a sense of comfort. Not only do I know I can make a phone call to a friend or family member in a second, but I also have the ability to check their locations. Similarly, social media provides the awareness of what others are up to. I don’t think it would be a stretch to say that the number one reason I use my phone is to keep up with the lives of others. This happens through texts, calls, facetimes, emails, and namely, social media. Social media is fantastic at allowing every person to keep tabs on anyone they want. Though it is great, one of the largest downfalls is the formulation of FOMO, or the Fear of Missing Out. I must admit, I used to fall victim to this. Though I’ve gotten better, it still presents itself in my life. In my experience, FOMO usually happens when I’m not doing anything and I notice that other people are. I don’t think I give in to FOMO when I’m actually out and enjoying myself. Despite this, it’s a real occurrence and probably one of the larger drawbacks to social media.
After this analyzation of my media and technology habits, the beauties and shortcomings, I begin to wonder whether a middle ground between staying online and turning off can be found. I’m not sure if there is a very clear answer. Of course there are ways to filter the amount of notifications you receive, but the minute you unlock your phone, the 15 message notifications are not going to be discreet. I feel like the only real solution to diminishing the amount of time spent, without turning off all technology, is to decrease the amount of platforms you interact with. If I deleted snapchat and unsubscribed from just a fourth of the retailers I receive emails from, my notification load would become significantly lighter. However, I will mention once more that I fall victim to FOMO and I don’t want to cut these apps or connections. I like to know, and find security in, being aware of what’s going on around me. I am absolutely positive there are ways I could improve my media habits in order to cut down my engagement, but for me, I’m not sure it’s worth it. I enjoy my phone, I enjoy being in the know, and I don’t imagine my media habits changing any time soon.
Ruthie's Writings. 