I turn notifications off on my computer and my iPhone.
Why? They are distracting and start to control how I pay attention to things. I choose what I pay attention to and I don’t need some algorithm telling me how to behave.
For that reason as well I think that Microsoft is making a mistake with its notifications in Office. Oh I understand why people like them in Microsoft products. If you don’t want to communicate with someone by video/phone than anything done to automate the process is welcome by you.
I notice that younger people love texting and I hate texting. I avoid it as much as possible. I move it to a phone conversation or video. I don’t want to be words on a screen and I don’t want to respond like a robot.
Now for some people they love pushing people away. They think it is effective and productive to use words to connect with others. It is not. If you are only words on a screen then what value are you bringing? Your character, personality and spirit are just as important as the words you use.
Not everyone might agree with me. Which is fine, those aren’t my kind of people. If you see others as just means to your goal, that doesn’t work for me. Everyone has their own life and richness and we should not treat others like machines to be thrown away.
The more that we emotionally/spiritually distance ourselves from others, the easier that cruelty and inhumanity is. Is it our connections that form community, and I don’t feel any connection in texting or getting notifications.