The concept of the attention economy also explains how interacting with technology may cause depression or anxiety for some. For example, a user may feel sad when they don’t hear or see new notifications on their phone, or they may experience the fear of missing out (also known as FOMO) if they don’t continually refresh their social media feed or check their messages. Even seemingly small details, like the colors used and the volume of notifications, can be distracting to users or cause them to feel anxious.

the attention economy.

The term attention economy originated with psychologist and Nobel Laureate Herbert A. Simon, who believed that there are limits on what humans can think about and do at one time. Many scientists believe that humans aren’t very good multitaskers; technology should help users, not distract them. The more distracted a person is, the less likely they are to complete a task well.

The clash between attention and distraction is why UX designers need to consider how the products they design will affect a person’s behavior. Simon once said, “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”