October 3, 2023, 2:44 pm | Read time: 7 minutes

Oh, a new WhatsApp message. Just a quick read. Oh, there are updates on Facebook. And there, a like on Instagram, how nice. Do these thoughts sound familiar? You’re not alone. Smartphones make us all more or less like junkies–in search of distraction and happiness. Checking social media channels only costs us time. Seemingly free game apps with in-app purchases not only consume our time but often use certain tricks to take our money as well. Why do we often fail to resist the lure of media consumption?

How Apps Manipulate Our Behavior

Many scientists have pondered how apps keep us glued to screens. The reasons all relate to human psychology. Social media and apps tap into our emotions and habitual behavior patterns. Often, we don’t even feel the social pressure anymore. Smartphones have become part of everyday life. Here are two brief examples of how drastically our behavior has changed in a short time.

When people could only talk over long distances via landline phones, we accepted it if someone wasn’t reachable. Even after hours, we didn’t worry about what might have happened. Today, two checkmarks in a messenger app are enough to make us feel offended or deeply concerned if the other person doesn’t respond immediately. Such actions are now causing relationships and friendships to break apart.

Or are you still playing your favorite free game with the standard avatar? Then all the other gamers know: Here we have a newbie. And none of the experienced gamers want to play with them. Tough luck, or maybe put together a cool avatar through an in-app purchase?

In-App Purchases, a Million-Dollar Business

The most well-known free game apps like Candy Crush now make millions every day through such in-app purchases or microtransactions, as they’re called in the developer scene.

Unfortunately, children and teenagers are often easy targets. That’s why parents should keep an eye on what their kids are doing with their smartphones or tablets all day. Otherwise, several hundred euros can quickly be wasted on digital junk–a supposedly rare avatar or a shortened waiting time to play the next level immediately.

Now you’re probably thinking: “That won’t happen to me.” That may be true for microtransactions. In fact, only a very small percentage of gamers account for the big revenues for app developers. However, against the psychological tricks of other apps, even you are powerless. Don’t believe it?

An Overview of App Tricks

Anyone who spends a fair amount of time on their phone might recognize one or two points on this list.

Also interesting: These paid apps are currently free

Thumbs Up

Facebook, Instagram, and other social media channels work with likes. You post something from your vacation or a new profile picture. Unconsciously, you naturally expect a “reward”–in the form of likes. The more, the better–and above all–the greater the personal feeling of happiness.

At that moment, a lot of dopamine, the so-called happiness hormone, rushes through your body. And you chase this feeling every time you open the social media app. The app developers are pleased because you reveal a lot of data and spend a lot of time with the app. After all, you consume a lot of advertising during this time.

Ping!

When it pings or vibrates, your smartphone wants to signal that something very important is happening on some channel or in some game. Naturally, you check immediately. Because you want to know what’s happening where you aren’t.

As soon as you install a new app, the notification function automatically turns on in the background. But every notification distracts you from things that are more important than cute cat pictures or incredibly funny videos.

Binge Gaming

Many game apps have a so-called streak function. The game requires you to log in at least once a day. Then a daily reward awaits you. At the end of the week or month, a mysterious chest awaits you, containing a digital nonsense currency. You can unlock particularly “exciting” things in the game with it. Even if you don’t, you’ve still fallen for the streak function.

Friends Challenge

Some apps work with friendship missions. You can earn digital badges together with another online friend. Here, participation also works unconsciously through social pressure. Why is the other person doing so little in the challenge?

Just quickly send a message and make the other person aware of it. In this case, the app itself doesn’t even have to exert pressure. Friends already do that among themselves, just for the nice feeling of having achieved something.

Stories

Stories are now found on almost all social media channels and in most well-known messaging services. Here, app developers work with time pressure. After all, the pretty story usually disappears after 24 hours. That’s why it’s “worthwhile” to open certain apps at least once a day. Of course, it doesn’t stop at just one story. Bam, another 30 minutes of life gone.

Endless Loop

The endless loop function is particularly insidious. On Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and others, you can now scroll endlessly through your feed. There’s no end. By the way, when Facebook first launched, the channel still had a page function, similar to a Google search. More posts were only available by clicking “Next”–a kind of stop function, because no one is interested in page 2.

Eventually, clever developers recognized this and invented the endless loop. On YouTube, it’s called ‘Autoplay.’ You just want to quickly watch a video. At the end of this one video, a new video starts within seconds, which you might like. And indeed, YouTube, thanks to the clever algorithm in the background, has found a really interesting program for you. Unfortunately, you’ve now completely forgotten the movie date with your loved one.

More on the topic

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Taking a Break Is Important

These are just a few well-known psychological tricks of apps that you’re surely familiar with. The list doesn’t claim to be exhaustive. Now think about it: How often have you been tempted by apps in this or a similar way to spend more time with them than planned?

To clarify: It’s not about problematizing this behavior–keyword: smartphone addiction. This term keeps coming up in this context. Here, too, psychology offers advice: Your behavior is only a problem if you perceive it as such or if other loved ones around you recognize a problem in it.

However, it doesn’t hurt to critically question yourself. You may not need to apply radical methods. Some people do and give themselves a digital detox once or several times a year. Perhaps it’s enough to keep the notification function on your smartphone enabled for only a few apps. You can simply disable all other notifications.

More Psychological Tricks of Apps

If you’re a parent and want to know how game developers specifically entice your children to make in-app purchases, check out this funny segment.

And for everyone interested in the psychological effects of popular apps: The cultural channel Arte has produced an entertaining mini-series. In “Dopamine,” it explains what apps like WhatsApp, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, or Candy Crush trigger in us. Don’t worry, there’s no finger-wagging. Each episode lasts only a few minutes and follows the same principle, guaranteed to tickle your funny bone.

Otherwise, the various tricks of apps affect each of us differently. Some people aren’t interested in likes, stories, and other social media elements. Instead, they fully engage with gamified experiences with minimal reward factors. Observe your screen behavior and share your experiences with us!