research results

Hey there, we're back! 

So today was pretty nice and I'm going to talk a little about what I researched for the project. 

The main thing I researched today was infinite scrolling. Now, what exactly is infinite scrolling? Well, basically it's quite a simple app feature that just allows you to keep scrolling down and down with an unlimited amount of content showing up on your screen. This change proved to make users stay consuming content for longer periods of time since it has the effect of a bottomless bowl. There was research by a professor in consumer behavior that yielded results showing that people having soup from self-refilling bowls actually consumed 73% more than those with regular bowls. 

Basically, the reason behind this effect is that before your brain even has the opportunity to react to your impulses, the system makes it so that it feeds you more automatically. That's what hooks you and makes it really hard for you to escape the loop because there's seemingly no end. If you think about it, really sharp minds such as those working in Silicon Valley, dedicate all their time and work solely to making you addicted to their apps. And sure enough, it works on a huge amount of people. 

So then, what can we do to stop getting hooked? What you could do first is to dismiss triggers. If there's no trigger to get you hooked in the first place then obviously you'll be reducing the time spent on social media. An easy sure-fire way to do so would be to turn your notifications off so that you're the one who decides when and where to open your applications. 

Now, what happens if you turn all your notifications off but still get into the loop of endless scrolling after opening up the app? The next method would be to set pause-reminders that serve as wake-up calls informing you that you should take a break after a long time on the app. The reminder will be able to interrupt the infinite scroll cycle effectively and could save you lots of potentially lost time on mindless consumption of the limitless content out there. 

Lastly, you could set up feedback nudges that show you how much time you've been spending on the platform lately and this could help you gain an understanding of whether you should mind your time more carefully or if you're happy with what you're doing right now. 

So that's all I have for you today, see you later!!