The Dark Side of Social Media: How Polyfocality, Multitasking and FOMO are Impacting Our Lives
The term “polyfocality” describes the capacity to switch between several tasks or to concentrate on several things at once. Social media platforms in today’s world are made to be extremely engaging and promote polyfocality, with users frequently switching between several platforms, apps, and tasks during a single session. Distractions reduced productivity, and difficulty focusing can result from this. Nowadays it is second nature to check all of your social media profiles and feeds when you get on your device. In a survey of 675 students in 26 states, it was found that students check their phones during class 11 times a day on average. Also, students spend an estimated 20% of class time checking a phone or another device for purposes that are not related to the class.
The simultaneous completion of many tasks is known as multitasking, which frequently results in fragmented attention and diminished productivity. Social media sites give users a continuous stream of new content, notifications, and alerts in an effort to encourage multitasking. Users may have feelings of being overburdened, stressed, and unable to sustain sustained attention on any one subject as a result of this. On your Macbooks, you are able to respond to texts while partaking other tasks. For example, when you get a notification it pops up in the top right hand screen of your computer. It is easy to get distracted and easily reply to your new notificaiton. Multitasking is more prominent than ever in today's world.
The condition known as FOMO, or fear of missing out, makes people feel anxious or under pressure to keep up with the continual flow of news and activity on social media. This worry can cause frequent checking of social media and phone accounts, as well as feelings of loneliness and inferiority when evaluating one’s own life in comparison to others.
The notion that attention has become a limited resource in a society with a surplus of information and distractions is known as the “attention economy.” Social media firms compete with one another for users’ attention, and they employ a range of strategies to keep users interested and using their platforms for as long as possible. This involves gamifying the user experience, personalizing content and notifications with algorithms, and using eye-catching design elements.
In conclusion, the notions of polyfocality, multitasking, FOMO, and the attention economy are crucial in explaining how social media affects our lives. These elements contribute to a feeling of overwhelm and constant connectivity, as well as to a reduction in focus and productivity. People can use these ideas to guide more deliberate and thoughtful decisions about how they use social media.
