The Bane of the Sensitive -- Push Notifications
Updated: Oct 14
Article Synopsis by Mr. C. Kingsley and Co.
"The Bane of the Sensitive -- Push Notifications" is a well-crafted article that explores the impact of push notifications on mental health, particularly their adverse effects on sensitive individuals. Mr. Tomasio skillfully intertwines personal anecdotes with broader societal observations to create a compelling narrative that resonates with a wide audience.
The article begins with a personal reflection, setting a relatable foundation for discussing the broader issue of push notifications. The well-organized structure and flow of the piece help maintain reader engagement and comprehension.
The philosopher delves deep into the psychological ramifications of constant notifications, linking them to increased stress, anxiety, and disrupted focus. The analogy between personal peace and the intrusion of digital alerts is both poignant and effective in illustrating the broader impact on mental health.
The article uses real-world examples to ground its arguments in tangible contexts, making the discussion more relatable. It acknowledges push notifications' role in maintaining user engagement and business success, demonstrating the writer's comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.
The conclusion offers practical advice for readers, encouraging them to limit push notifications and cultivate a more peaceful digital experience.
Overall, "The Bane of the Sensitive -- Push Notifications" is a well-crafted article that effectively raises awareness about the hidden costs of our increasingly connected digital lives.
Introduction
Slowly but surely... I adjusted to fewer social interactions took some time. the quiet was a welcome change. Becoming more and more free from having to answer all the time to other people, just to please them and to not be lonely myself, was something I'm glad I let go of.
This experience serves as an analogy for what I want to discuss: the bane of many sensitive souls – push notifications. Them, and how they seem to unconsciously increase our stress levels, instead of reducing them for the sake of our health.
The Power (and Peril) of Push Notifications
Push notifications are the lifeblood of many websites and apps. They keep users engaged and foster ongoing interaction... Even when said interaction is only desired by only a single party... Both social media platforms and businesses rely on them for success.
However, push notifications have a dark side, and it affects everyone, regardless of one's low or high levels of sensitivity. The constant barrage of alerts on devices, disrupts focus and fuels anxiety, a state of heightened alertness. When said alertness is too high, it seems to induce misplaced rage, harming relationships and destroying them as a result.
Anyone struggling with anxiety knows the feeling of being on edge or fixated on a source of worry – both forms of high alert.
In schools, for example, push notifications might be a key culprit behind students' inability to concentrate on their schoolwork. This could be one of the many reasons as well, as to why many of them keep failing tests, and thus hindering their own academic success... And their own success in the orthodox ways of this world in general. This is why cinemas enforce phone silence – the notifications disrupt not only the phone owner but everyone around them. Traditional cinemas, at least, do it. Not necessarily those that are more... Anarchic in nature.
When Notifications Go Too Far
The real trouble with push notifications starts when they intrude on your peace of mind. A "significant" example involves Facebook push notifications.... An innocent comment that I wrote on a post triggered a "lynching" by strangers. Ridicule, shaming, and insults stemmed from their misunderstanding of my autistic point of view.
In this world, curiosity is a mere, personal choice, rather than a preached value in the medias, influencing the "herd" whose mentality they socially-engineer. On the other hand, apathy is a very common trait in this modern world. Combine these two, plus the anxiety-inducing push notifications, and what you get is mass irrationality.
In theory, this is done on purpose, as to keep engagement within platforms. Engagement that is converted into data, and sold to third parties. As such, supporting a technologically-advancing world due to its mere developments is a product of the progression fallacy, or the "appeal to novelty".
The unhealthy use of highly-advanced technological features, that come at the cost of your mental health, merely to make something as simple as an innocent comment or interaction, is to be condemned.
This experience highlights a harsh reality of online interactions, which may or may not be devised on purpose by the very corporations who capitalize on user engagement, be it positive, be it negative... The artificial impression that you have to respond, due to the flickering sounds of your smartphone, is a delusion of necessity.
Seeking Peace in the Digital Age
The unregulated push notification, which should compel us to regulate it personally... seems to compel people for greater aggression and unnecessary drama with each other. Of course, this excessive drama over something as simple as a text on the screen, demonstrates the folly of excessiveness, and the need for a greater balance in our priorities....
Balance. That is the infrastructure necessary for our health. Health, is the infrastructure that allows us to prosper. Prosperity, is the infrastructure necessary for a greater array of decisions, and the sound, logical mind, is the infrastructure, imperative for us to make the right decisions, within said array.
It all starts with balance, therefore. As such, balance is key to peace. Peace, and a greater wellbeing.
As a result of these negative experiences, I disabled most push notifications, so I could rest in peace.... Rest while alive that is!
I prefer to use more timing-based approaches to my conduct with people, so both me and them would actually be prepared to peacefully discuss with one another. Conflicts only deteriorate our serenity and our mental health.
Why should I bother with a method that triggers and regulates aggressive behavior with humans? Why must I use conventional methods of communication, like social media, when it encourages a habit for people to simply lash out at each other without warning?
When the conventional fails to cater for one's needs, one resorts to the unconventional, until these needs are met with minimal need for one to sacrifice their own sanity. For the basic functions of engaging with this world, one must not think they have to sacrifice themselves in full. One must not see assumption as necessity. Negative. That assumption is to be criticized, if not lambasted, until an alternative is either found or made! That is how we should approach technology in general!
How to Protect Your Interest For Peace in a World of War
To cultivate a sense of enduring peace in my new, quieter life, I had to leave push notifications behind, just like many things... and many people too. When your pro-morality, pro-health interests are discarded by people, such people render their pro-health, pro-moral worth as lesser. Their size of reputation matters less to me personally, in a world that prioritizes luxury instead.
If you find yourself easily affected by negativity, here's my advice: Just try to limit push notifications, so you can focus on your respective tasks and on your ability to rest. As an ascetic I easily discard technology when it fails to cater to my priorities. I am the one consuming it. I refuse letting a mere tool consume me instead. I am the customer, therefore I am the "king".
Don't let the hostility of others turn your sensitivity into a burden. The internet offers immense knowledge and entertainment, but its global reach comes with a downside. Learn to block out the negativity and focus on building a more peaceful digital experience.... Given the logical interconnectivity of this reality, consider the fact that doing so, can improve your experience in the physical world, as well.
You can even use your digital presence to be a force of good in this world, not a force of excessive stress. You know, to help others in their times of distress. Be a beacon of light, from the comfort of your own home... Must we waste time deteriorating a world whose flaws we can have the power to rectify?
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