Distraction culture: The origin story of notification stress
Abstract
Background:
Long gone are the days when procrastination was the sole culprit of poor productivity through the chronic delay of task completion, which has also been linked to a range of stress-related health problems (e.g., headaches, digestive issues, and insomnia). Today’s culture has given rise to the phenomenon of pre-crastination, whereby a technological notification demands and receives immediate attention despite its level of urgency. This propensity to abandon flow and groove is becoming normalized, and the public health impact is currently unknown.
These notifications, a seemingly benign cost of technological advances, are setting the stage for a new level of stressor examination. The public health implications are plentiful when examining how people work, interact with technology, and cope in a healthy way.
To date, there has been minimal chatter in the literature specific to notification stress, which is both surprising and troubling, especially when the role of technology in society is considered.
Method:
Workshop participants will be subject to a simulation that mimics an everyday encounter with technological notifications while also attending to various cognitive tasks. A pre-post instrument will be developed and administered to assess perceptions, impact on several wellness dimensions, and overall productivity.
Anticipated Results:
It is anticipated that data will yield confirmation that technological notifications are indeed impacting productivity. Beyond this, assessments will reveal multi-dimensional impact and inform the path forward for practice and research.
Conclusion:
While procrastination and pre-crastination are not deemed public health enemy number one, their presence does suggest 1) increased risk of chronic disease and mental health issues; 2) spillover into general health behaviors (e.g., delayed physical activity and screenings); and 3) a lack of coping and motivation. And this workshop will demonstrate this presence while also equipping participants with practical tools for management and coping, which represents a larger call to action.
Keywords
notification stress, pre-crastination, procrastination, stress response, coping, technology, health outcomes
Distraction culture: The origin story of notification stress
Background:
Long gone are the days when procrastination was the sole culprit of poor productivity through the chronic delay of task completion, which has also been linked to a range of stress-related health problems (e.g., headaches, digestive issues, and insomnia). Today’s culture has given rise to the phenomenon of pre-crastination, whereby a technological notification demands and receives immediate attention despite its level of urgency. This propensity to abandon flow and groove is becoming normalized, and the public health impact is currently unknown.
These notifications, a seemingly benign cost of technological advances, are setting the stage for a new level of stressor examination. The public health implications are plentiful when examining how people work, interact with technology, and cope in a healthy way.
To date, there has been minimal chatter in the literature specific to notification stress, which is both surprising and troubling, especially when the role of technology in society is considered.
Method:
Workshop participants will be subject to a simulation that mimics an everyday encounter with technological notifications while also attending to various cognitive tasks. A pre-post instrument will be developed and administered to assess perceptions, impact on several wellness dimensions, and overall productivity.
Anticipated Results:
It is anticipated that data will yield confirmation that technological notifications are indeed impacting productivity. Beyond this, assessments will reveal multi-dimensional impact and inform the path forward for practice and research.
Conclusion:
While procrastination and pre-crastination are not deemed public health enemy number one, their presence does suggest 1) increased risk of chronic disease and mental health issues; 2) spillover into general health behaviors (e.g., delayed physical activity and screenings); and 3) a lack of coping and motivation. And this workshop will demonstrate this presence while also equipping participants with practical tools for management and coping, which represents a larger call to action.
