The fear of missing something important is a powerful force that drives people to constantly check their phones, even when in do not disturb mode. To address this, it can be helpful to set unique buzz signatures for specific types of notifications and to create a custom do not disturb message that offers the option to let certain important contacts break through the mode.
The grayscale setting on iPhones can reduce screen time and increase battery life, while the Center for Humane Technology focuses on solving technology addiction.
In this podcast, the speaker discusses how phones buzz in the same ambiguous way, forcing individuals to get sucked in, leading to phone addiction. The speaker recommends that phones should let users set up a unique buzz signature for different types of notification, thereby minimizing the need to check for new messages and reducing the manipulation of human attention.
The speaker suggests scheduling social media usage using tools like Buffer or Edgar to take a break from constant monitoring and responding, which can have a neurobiological cost. By scheduling social media, we can un-hijack our nervous system and take a vacation from social media.