These days, everyone carries a smartphone in his pocket and has the possibility to connect to his favourite websites from any location. Non-stop access to information and amenities has inevitably changed how we work, rest, socialize or learn and some of these changes are running very deep. With more and more mobile apps being designed to include gamification principles, we are increasingly adjusting our daily routines to get the most out of them.
Few users are actively thinking about these behavioural changes, and instead simply go with the flow. This leaves them vulnerable to excessive use of mobile phones and other risks that can be easily diminished if you are aware how the whole thing works. This article will help you understand the main rules of thumb for digital wellbeing in the mobile era.
Spare Time as a Resource
Many online applications are set up to incentivise users to spend either time or money to upgrade their experience. In many cases, basic software is available for free but unlocking some features is not. The user has a choice – either to accept incomplete service or to go along with the operator’s plan. Essentially, time spent interacting with software is the new currency that we use to get a range of benefits unavailable to free users. We are trading clicks for virtual gifts, with the best ones requiring a significant dedication and persistence. For some people, this looks like a bargain as they have lots of free time but others may find this model less favourable. It’s important to be cognisant of the true nature of ‘free’ apps and to carefully determine how much time you can afford to spend tinkering with them.
Reacting to Notifications and Alerts
Another way that mobile apps are conditioning our activity is by peppering us with messages that require a prompt reaction. This is another key aspect of gamification that is increasingly spreading across the entire spectrum of software applications. Nowadays, job seeking apps and online marketplaces are constantly sending alerts whenever an opportunity pops up. It is true that it’s possible to turn off those notifications or at least personalise them, but a majority of users never get around to do this. Instead, they dance to the tune played by the app designers and take action as soon as they see an attractive offer. Again, this is fine if you have nothing better to do but it can be a distraction that diverts attention from more important tasks.
Chasing Achievements and Rewards
Once a user starts treating an online app as an everyday tool, there is a temptation to maximise the rewards and reach every benchmark. Take online casinos as an example – to collect as many Punt casino free spins as possible, players must log in daily and participate in all promotions. Some of the milestones bring rewards that are purely cosmetic and consist of badges displayed on the profile or changed visual appearance of the in-app avatar. Each achievement triggers the next one, so this process never really ends. In extreme scenarios, the app can turn into a veritable time sink that gradually takes up a greater portion of the user’s day and starts negatively affecting work performance and social relationships. That’s why it’s important to use such apps in moderation and avoid the trap of having to get every little reward.
Connecting Remotely with Others
Perhaps the most significant change that mobile technology introduced to our lives is how we interact with our friends and casual contacts. A flurry of communication apps and social platforms has flooded the mobile market and an average person has several of them installed. When you are connected with others via multiple channels, you get a feeling that you are fully in touch with them even if you haven’t seen them in person for many months. It’s important to understand that digital communication is not a true replacement for actual meetings in real life and can often stay on a superficial level. Reading social media posts and emoting to Viber messages is totally fine, just as long as you remember to occasionally make an effort and so something with people in real life.
Staying Online without Interruption
Between all the apps that require out attention, we are basically staying connected for 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. All that screen time adds up and if we are not careful it could render the rest of our lives almost meaningless. 
Gamification techniques are aimed at keeping engagement with software at a high level, but they can also cause an addiction to mobile devices over a longer period of intense use. Like any other addiction, this obsession with keeping track of every online event has a price and sometimes we only realise what we have sacrificed when things start spiralling out of control. That’s why it’s crucial to protect mental health by taking breaks from our favourite apps or at least changing up our everyday routines. Otherwise, we might end up getting stuck in the virtual world and losing any sense of reality.
