Ever since I reformatted my computer, I had been getting reminders to 'Allow/Block' steemit.com to enable desktop notifications through Google Chrome -- you know, the ones where you get a tiny window in the bottom-right of your desktop saying you have been mentioned by so-and-so, or how someone just replied to you.
But I haven chosen to ignore those reminders and not allow notifications to my desktop through the browser. They stopped a while back, but if they show up again I'll click 'Block' next time.
Why am I doing this?
What the hell is wrong with me? LOL...
Annoying Interruption
Well, the reason I did this is because I find it annoying and a constant interruption.
Every few minutes after you post -- or at random throughout the day -- you're going to get little windows pop up on your desktop telling you about someone who replied or mentioned you. I find it gets in the way of doing others things. What's worse is when you get several -- one after the other -- and they just stack up on your desktop, filling up the vertical space...
And It's not just the attention-drawing interruption of notifications. It's especially annoying when you have things in the bottom right sector of your desktop that you are actually using -- and I do use that area. When a desktop notification pops up, I lose the "focus" of my cursor to do work in that area and get "physically" interrupted and prevented from doing what I was doing.
Pay Attention NOW!
I don't need to IMMEDIATELY know when someone has replied to one of my posts or comments, or to know when someone has mentioned me. Even though the notifications are only available at the time they display and the mentions can only be found this way, it doesn't bother me. So I won't know who mentioned me in some post or comment somewhere... OK, big whoopy.
These notifications are not my cup-of-tea. I don't need to know who is replying to me or talking about me at all times of the day so that I can jump into Steemit and go read what is happening. I don't want to be poked for attention to get me to go running off to Steemit right at that moment.
Always Connected
This is like other aspects of the "always-on" always-connected technological world we are immersed in now. Many people aren't on their computers all the time, but they do have phones! People have Facebook and email notifications on their phones, and they get notified when any attention is paid towards them. Then they instantly want to pay attention to that notification and go find out what the activity is all about.
Brain-drain
I even did a post recently about smartphones draining our brain power just by being around us because we are distracted in anticipation of that sound that is trying to get us to pay attention to the phone and the platform the notification comes from.
Hooked-on-Attenion
These notifications keep you hooked to the attention coming from the platform, and hooked into getting more attention from people on those platforms. I don't know about you, but I don't need to have messages sent to my desktop telling me when people reply or mention me. I will go to the site and check my replies when I want to, on my own time. Getting pop ups in the bottom-right corner of my desktop is not something I want to have.
But, if I could go review my notifications on my own time, I would be more willing to have them. Steemit has notifications like that for replies and new posts in your feed. You see them when you want, not all the time throughout the day, interrupting you.
Pavlovian Bell?
Is it just me, or are these notifications like the ringing of a bell where we have been trained to react to that sound? It sounds a little Pavlovian. A bell rings and instead of salivating, we are primed and perky ready to find out who is giving us attention. Have we been trained? Ring ring, and engage in the expected behavior that we've been "trained" to do :P
What do you think about notifications?
Are they getting a bit too much for you?
Do you not even notice them because it's just become the norm?
Do you feel trained to respond to the "bells" notifying you of activity/attention?
Thank you for your time and attention. Peace.
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Aww you mean you hate the attention? Oh wait this is steemit and not Ig or Fb. Luckily, I don't use chrome and I'm not popular to have the constant notification. And I pretty much stayed away from fb for most of the time. I get on once every few months. I guess I learned to ignore the bell by staying away from it. Your move is good for your sanity really. I can imagine it must feel like being in an office with the constant ringing of phones and workmates always asking you questions or for help.
LOL Yeah it's like a busy office phone indeed.
Yeah I agree. I think for people that are new that are a little bit more anal, this is a good feature. For folks like myself who are more settled into STEEMIT, you're right.
Yeah some people like it, not me ;)
I will pay attention when I need to. There are plenty of ways on my Steemit blog page for me to know if any of my posts have been commented on, or if any of my comments have replies. Also, I can use Steemd to figure out all of the activity.
There's no reason to have constant notifications, other than if someone is trying to empty my Steem account! :)
LOL, yeah but then you could be gone to the bathroom and miss them when you get back :P
Gone to the bathroom? I'm bringing my phone, and Steemit with me! :D
I hate notifications, especially when I comment on something and than am made to follow a conversation I'm no longer interested in. On the other hand, it does seem a bit annoying when you are with other people and their phones keep beeping, while yours remains silent.
LOL, is that what makes it annoying? You wish you were as distracted as them and then it wouldn't be annoying anymore? :P j/k
It is kind of embarrassing when the person you're talking to is staring at the phone. And you're like - oh, i might as well shut up..
Yeah that's what I thought, but it has nothing to do with you not being off the phone, as if being on one would make it all "better" hehe. The problem is everyone being on their phones checking others things. It didn't used to be that way. Maybe make a rule: turn off your phone. You can call someone back later when you turn it on. Hardly are our lives that important that we can't be AFK for a few hours lol :P
Yep, I haven't had any notifications whatsoever for a few weeks now. The only reason I get a few notifications is because I started using www.busy.org to get them. I do like to know when I've been mentioned so I can go check it out, however I don't even own a cellphone, so when I shut my laptop, it's all off. I choose when to be on and when not to be. Part of the reason I don't have a phone, is because I know what I would do every time there was a ding!!!!
Those damn dings and windows... lol. But if you want them because you're on for Steemit only, then sure it's useful ;) I have other things going on so for me it's cumbersome. Thanks for the feedback.
Yeah, I agree. I turned off all notifications in Chrome, and most notifications on my phone. Why are we letting us get distracted again after we killed popups?
Yeah, but these are the pop ups we want ;)
Our dopamine levels rise every time we hear that notification either on phone or web, this addiction is gonna have some serious consequences!!
LOL
need... notifications!... withdrawal... need my ... fix...
I do allow notification on my laptop.
Hehe, some places yes, some places no ,eh...
What a fantastic effort, @krnel
Hi! Great! I upvoted you
Following also
Resteemed @krnel
well i dont have a problem with the notifications ,but sometimes they do get so annoying.
upvoted as witness!!! @krnel
Thanks, but I don't see your vote?
I did vote check
Well sorry, my apologies, I guess the site with the recent votes isn't updated. Thank you for the support! :)
I used to have lots of notification from steemit in early time when I start writing here..but lately there was no notification at all. Not because I did some changes in the setting or whatsoever. It just dissappear. Somehow its good, but I missed lots of stuff too 😁😁
Weird
Yeah I think they may have disabled it to work on it.
I have Telegram running @noteefi_bot. From time to time I just turn Off Notifications. That's all=))
Just change your settings if possible. I do not get notifications. Not sure how I did that though. It's been a while.