I’ve discovered the secret to a happy life in this era of constant connection: ignoring everyone that I know and love. Well, at least ignoring their push notifications on my smartphone by living in “Do Not Disturb” mode.
With Do Not Disturb switched on, you still receive each new notification, but your phone doesn’t ping, buzz, or blip to tell you about it. It’s a trendy yet divisive pivot away from the always-on norm. Tongue-in-cheek fancams celebrating Do Not Disturb mode rack up millions of views on TikTok, alongside viral videos calling out users of the feature as rude.
For one week, I proudly joined the growing tribe of Do Not Disturb maximalists who have their notifications silenced 24/7. My experience as part of the DND crew felt transcendent, albeit a bit annoying for everyone trying to get in touch with me.
Before starting, I reached out to some people who leave their phones set to Do Not Disturb mode all the time to better understand their motivations and to learn what it’s like to live a life devoid of constant disturbances. Unsurprisingly, a few of the calls went directly to voicemail.
Some of those folks did pick up, and throughout these conversations, I learned that the practice of going all-DND all the time has a different impact on each user. Some true believers feel like fully embracing Do Not Disturb has radically transformed their smartphone usage for the better by reducing screentime, while others still clock in plenty of phone-scrolling hours, just on their own terms. While the impacts vary, the motivations often trace back to one core theme: a desire to set boundaries around availability.
The first time one of my friends switched their phone to Do Not Disturb and left it there all day, I was shocked. How taboo! A breaking of the social contract that demands constant texting and group chats to stay connected to other humans. But, if anything, I was mainly filled with jealousy. They had successfully squashed that buzzing bee in their pocket.
Both iOS and Android phones have had versions of Do Not Disturb modes available to owners for over a decade. Even so, software updates in recent years have made the setting feel more accessible to a wider range of people seeking to avoid being buzzed.
Claire Meczkowski, who does customer service for a tech company, is fairly new to the Do Not Disturb lifestyle. In January of this year, she started putting her phone on Do Not Disturb during pilates class, sometimes forgetting to switch the setting off after class. That was a turning point for her. “Oh, I actually want this,” says Meczkowski. “This is really, really nice. I should just leave this on.” Currently, her phone is always on Do Not Disturb, unless it auto switches over to Sleep mode at night, another favorite with the notification blockers who use iPhones.
“I took it further, which is Sleep mode. It dims the light of your phone, and it doesn’t vibrate,” says Oscar, who asked to only be identified by his first name. “Well, it pissed off a lot of people.” He eventually carved out an exception for his mother, so incoming messages from her will still make his phone buzz. Even so, Oscar still considers the overall smartphone experience to be “extremely invasive.”
Recent research published in the academic journal Computers in Human Behavior suggests that notifications, from social media platforms specifically, can cause hiccups in cognitive processing “lasting approximately seven seconds.” Since my smartphone is rarely further than a foot away from my body, these kinds of little distractions from each notification easily add up. The cumulative effect leaves my attention feeling spliced.
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