Researchers examine how push notifications lead to procrastination.
While there is little information that regards frequent mobile phone usage as an addiction, there have been recent studies suggesting that habitual checking of mobile devices can have several negative effects including procrastination.
In 2020, Adrian Meier at Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany examined the mobile checking habits of 714 college students via daily diaries for five days. Meier’s intention was to better understand the correlation between mobile checking habits and procrastination. They found that a sample of college students would best display these impacts because young adults often exhibit habitual mobile phone use.
Automaticity, as Meier defines it is the ease with which an individual completes the action of checking their mobile device(s). Checking for notifications and other mobile activities are therefore easier to complete based on previous actions that build up over time. Meier found that these checking habits are often rooted in conflict between using mobile devices or completing a task at hand. In simpler terms, this conflict can be defined as procrastination.
Furthermore, Meier defines procrastination as the act of intentionally delaying intended tasks and explains that this poor habit can negatively impact academic performance and well-being. Because mobile checking usually begins as a simple task, completed to check for notifications such as text messages, comments or replies, it is seen as a hedonistic act. Resulting actions such as replying to said messages and comments can then lead down the rabbit hole of checking social media timelines or other media apps installed on one’s device.
Basically, once an individual is hooked in by a quick reply, the potential for interacting with other media is higher and, as we discussed earlier, easier to complete due to habitual actions. I for one can recall several instances in which quickly replying to a text from my mom, or a Twitter mention from a friend has spiraled into at least 45 minutes of scrolling or playing around on my phone.
As Meier mentioned procrastination being a failure of self-regulation, they also explained that this failure to keep oneself on track with intended tasks can lead to feelings such as guilt or shame, ultimately increasing stress, anxiety or worry. Despite the hedonistic veil of mobile checking, the negative impacts far outweigh the bliss of quick media interactions.
The urge to check one’s mobile devices is like a looming cloud over our daily lives. From the moment we wake up, the instinct to check for notifications is embedded in us, and after checking once, the notion to continue follows us throughout the day. Due to the nature of these urges, it is easy to become distracted or even build up a higher frequency to check for notifications. Neither method poses a solution for mobile users however, and leads to further procrastination or poor execution of work.
Although it may be inappropriate to assume frequent mobile checking correlates to addiction, it’s not difficult to see the negative impacts that come with procrastination. One way to dispel poor checking habits is to limit push notifications from social apps, however, the final control of mobile use is the responsibility of the user.
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