Chapter Four
The Emotional Toll of Distraction
Summary
01
Shortform, ever-changing and easily consumable content has the highest appeal - but these small seeds can quickly grow into a labyrinth of distraction, trapping them in an endless scroll that drains time and focus.
The struggle for attention has become a defining feature of our lives. In the "attention economy," our ability to concentrate becomes a precious, finite resource—a commodity that should be carefully spent.
Across the generational divide, Gen One and Digital Adopters face this challenge differently: their attitudes towards attention-grabbing technology, their tactics for keeping it in control and the emotional impact it can have are distinctly divergent.
The allure of distraction
02
Gen One’s behaviour is shaped by their digital environment. The ubiquity of short-form content on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, provides a quick escape from daily monotony and serves as a form of relaxation or escapism.
In contrast, Digital Adopters experience digital distractions with a mix of frustration and resignation. Acutely aware of the addictive nature of technology, they use more sophisticated methods to minimise distraction, like Do Not Disturb or Airplane mode to simulate life before the internet was always at hand.
“Because we're bored, so bored and want just a little activity in our brain once and it's especially good if I'm doing uni work or something and I'm like, oh, my God, it's just this one thing over and over and over and, you just want something to break up the monotony.”
“I think probably a negative aspect is when you're doing that mindless scrolling and it's the middle of the night, or you go to bed and you're not getting that sleep - the physical and emotional side of things.”
The double-edged sword
03
Both Gen One and Digital Adopters are acutely aware of the crucial role the design of digital platforms plays in capturing and holding their attention. Techniques such as gamification and nudges can boost positive emotions, like achievement and empowerment. Still, these strategies can lead them down a slippery slope towards overuse, exacerbating negative feelings like anxiety, frustration and isolation.
Due to their deep immersion in digital, Gen One experiences these emotional effects more acutely. On the positive front, they are likelier to enjoy these features and report feeling more inspired, empowered and connected to others.
Conversely, Gen One’s negative emotions are also amplified when online. By wide margins, they experience distraction, overwhelm, frustration and isolation more frequently than Digital Adopters. They lament the loss of productivity and a feeling of lethargy after a lot of screen time but are conscious that it’s a spiral they struggle to escape.
“I'm a distracted person all the time so I need something to give me li like my little boost of happiness, I guess just a little because if I get too stuck in my head, then I need something to give me back a little something.”
“On Spotify when I log in sometimes it will say new releases from people you know, and it's like, yeah, actually I do wanna listen to this. So it takes you straight to the album like that just got released.”
"I get frustrated sometimes when I look at it too much... I've realised that I've wasted that much time."
Gen One is aware of the gap between reality and what’s shown on social media at a rational level, although they recognise this feeds into negative feelings. Although they use social media to temporarily escape reality, social media is limited as a form of escapism because it reflects the biases and ideals of the real world.
"I get anxious and get overwhelmed semi-often, usually at work or when facing too many tasks in general. I feel this pattern occurring at least once or twice a week… It's like a nervous tick or reflex.”
“For some reason, you'll just like get a video of a girl having fun and you're like, wow, like people are just hating on it like, wow, this is why women shouldn’t vote or something. It's like what the hell's happening and they're just like all like that as well. You have to, like, scroll to find like a person with, like, you know, empathy.”
“It's very easy to knock yourself down when other people's lives seem so amazing online but they don't show like, the ups and downs and one thing I've learned through the usage of this is just, don't put so much burden on yourself because you're not where you think you're at compared to other people.”
Seeking balance on the slippery slope
04
As the world rapidly digitises, our digital diet will inevitably evolve. The experience of this shift differs significantly between Gen One and Digital Adopters, thanks to their levels of exposure to a pre-digital world.
Gen One fears the proliferation of digital services will erode their freedom to pursue offline passions unless we radically simplify what truly requires screen time. If we want to design digital experiences that capture their attention, we need to change our digitisation approach from being additive and time-hungry, to being integrated and shockingly fast.
For Digital Adopters, it’s important to make tasks feel seamless and to ensure each action is intentional and valuable. This approach will create space for their much-valued leisure activities, relaxation and self-improvement.
Using technology that is less ever-present and more purposeful will open up the possibilities to deliver experiences that reduce the digital burden for all generations, not add to it.
“It doesn't mess with my mind necessarily in the mental health space but it just makes me not wanna fall asleep, sometimes you're like, oh wrap it up or whatever and then you can't… then something else jumps to mind and then you're like, oh OK, look this up. I gotta do this. So yeah, it's sometimes a bit of a love-hate relationship with it because you wanna do the best and you wanna be yourself as well. So it's finding that sweet spot, I guess.”
“Because you spend more time, your brain would increase the amount of content you see in a certain amount of time by degrees. So you'll spend more time and watch more content and again, if you're scrolling slowly you'll see ads more. So that's the science.”
What it means for Gen One Design
05
As the world rapidly digitises, our digital diet will inevitably evolve. The experience of this shift differs significantly between Gen One and Digital Adopters, thanks to their levels of exposure to a pre-digital world.
Gen One fears the proliferation of digital services will erode their freedom to pursue offline passions unless we radically simplify what truly requires screen time. If we want to design digital experiences that capture their attention, we need to change our digitisation approach from being additive and time-hungry, to being integrated and shockingly fast.
For Digital Adopters, it’s important to make tasks feel seamless and to ensure each action is intentional and valuable. This approach will create space for their much-valued leisure activities, relaxation and self-improvement.
Using technology that is less ever-present and more purposeful will open up the possibilities to deliver experiences that reduce the digital burden for all generations, not add to it.
Implications for brands and government organisations
06
1.
Notify with impact:
What’s the minimum path and level of engagement to achieve the outcome? Anything more can drive frustration and disengagement.
2.
Set limits on information delivery:
Endless information can be enticing, but overwhelming and distracting at the same time - allow users to explore freely without leading them down absorbing rabbit holes.
3.
Create opportunities to pause and resume:
We all need a break to disconnect, and for Gen One that is often a step in the digital journey. Allow users to stray off the path without jeopardising the mission.
Case Studies
07
01
“Once Only” and the Diia App
Ukraine's Diia state app exemplifies the present-day reality of instant access to state services. Over the past four years, Diia has integrated seamlessly into the daily lives of Ukrainians, with over 20 million users—half of the country's population—registered on the app. This digital platform has revolutionised government interaction, enabling citizens to access over 120 state services from any location with just a few clicks.
Diia’s functionality ranges from electronic document filing to renewing your driver’s licence, re-registering cars, donating to the military, opening bank accounts, receiving parcels, signing documents, and paying taxes. The app also facilitates the eRestoration programme, aiding Ukrainians in rebuilding homes damaged by the war with Russia.
The "once only" principle, adopted by most EU nations, underpins Diia's efficiency. This approach ensures that citizens need to provide information only once, with government departments verifying and communicating behind the scenes, saving significant time and money.
Lesson for Gen One Design
By helping Ukrainians connect to government services without having to trawl through long and complicated websites - the users’ time is spent more efficiently and directly towards a government benefit.
02
One Sec
The One Sec app is designed to help users curb their impulsive social media habits by introducing a mandatory pause before opening specified apps or websites. Developed with insights from psychology and user experience experts, One Sec prompts users to take a deep breath or perform other simple tasks, such as rotating their phone or staring at a blank screen, whenever they try to access distracting apps like Instagram or TikTok. This brief interruption encourages mindfulness and helps users reconsider their actions, aiming to reduce unconscious, habitual social media use.
Scientific studies, including one by the University of Heidelberg and the Max Planck Institute, have demonstrated that One Sec can reduce app usage by up to 57%. This reduction is achieved by making users more aware of their digital habits and encouraging intentional use of their devices. Users report benefits such as increased productivity, better mental health, and improved focus, as the app helps replace impulsive social media checks with more meaningful activities.
Lesson for Gen One Design
One sec is an effective way to not just reduce screen time, but focus on the quality of time and reduce the negative effects of distraction. By stopping you from entering the rabbit hole, it can significantly reduce the time you’re spending on apps overall.