I empathize with you when trying to search for an email of significance but find your inbox packed to the brim with spam containing “exclusive” crypto investment opportunities and “Important” Amazon order confirmation letters. Or when you are trying to get through some important work, and your phone just will not stop buzzing with notifications. These are some of the problems we face today which can be termed as digital frustrations.
Think back to a time when receiving an email would bring you joy. Now, the experience has shifted so much that looking at your inbox feels like visiting a sketchy market where all the merchants want to sell you stuff which you have no use for. Regardless of spam filters there seems to be an overflowing abundance of junk mail that, as you delete them, seem to just multiply like rabbits.
The most annoying part about this is that email cannot be completely ignored. I attempted to do that at one point and ending up missing the important message. Not turning up to a meeting makes for an amazing conversation. "Unfortunately, I was trying to navigate away from my obscene collection of spam messages," does not convince one of me as a professional.
Every day, these spam emails become more clever. They are no longer simply trash, they are sophisticated replica versions of actual companies. Just the other day, I received an email that seemed to come from my bank, alerting me of “suspicious activity” on my account. The only suspicious activity on my part was opening that email, considering it was attempting to direct me to an extremely unreliable website.
If I am being honest, I nearly fell victim to one of these scams. An email claiming that it's been over 365 days since I logged into my Bitcoin mining account where I have accumulated over 2.5 Bitcoin was waiting for me to be claimed, and I should take action immediately or I would lose the Bitcoin was about to do the trick. That was too tempting to ignore, but something felt off. Thankfully, I checked all my Google saved passwords and the sites attached to them, but nothing like the site they wanted me to check into was found.
Then we have WhatsApp groups. Oh boy! WhatsApp group chats are worse than spam mails. It’s like being trapped in an endless family get-together where a thousand different conversations are happening simultaneously. You know the groups I am referring to, the ones where users share bombshell camera rolls, followed by a 5-minute voice note that could be texted in two words, along with random “urgent” messages that turn out to be entirely not true.
The notifications are endless. You are in the process of taking an exquisite photo. And at the precise moment you wish to click the photograph, you are ambushed with a notification which reads, "AWESOME DEAL ON SHADES ???? WHO'S READY TO JOIN MY BUSINESS? ????????" The notification covers part of your screen. Or you are in the middle of typing an important message and the keyboard is taken over by a barrage of group text messages about the plans for someone’s third cousin’s wedding.
I was that anxious guy who checked notifications constantly. My FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) was relentless. What if something was going on? What if I was needed? And it turns out for 99% of the time it was just a "don’t forget to drink water" alert or "Where is everyone?" signifying a hyperlink.
But the reality is that we do not have to put up with this. Along the way, I have always made it a point to ensure being able to practice healthy digital habits. When it comes to dealing with unnecessary malicious emails, I have set a schedule. Digital clutter is not something which keeps me up at night. I do not have to worry about figuring out what is going in my inbox constantly. For the sake of ease, I have set specific moments where I clear my spam folders. It seems a lot like cleaning digital garbage, painful, and not the best way to spend time, but ultimately needed.
WhatsApp has finally listened to our cries and provided some helpful features to control the madness. The lock chat feature is astonishing. I can now lock those talkative group chats quicker than you can say stop sending chain messages.
The mention-only alerts function is essentially a personal assistant that will not disturb you unless someone specifically needs you. You will no longer be notified of what everyone is having for lunch or pointless banter about whether a dress is blue or gold.
These tools have restored my digital peace of mind. I no longer feel swamped by the ocean of notifications and spam. Of course, the incessant reminders still come, but now they're less persistent intrusion and more ambient chatter.
Consider it this way - your virtual world is your home. You would not have strangers come into your home and scream at you all day long, would you? So why let spam email and constant notifications do the same to your virtual home? It is okay to draw the line. It is okay to tell them, "No, I do not need to be notified every time someone shares their daily horoscope to the family chat."
The trick is to find out what works for you. Maybe you're fine with skimming group conversations once a day. Maybe you need to show up more in work groups. What's great about these new features is that you can fit them into your life.
Take back your online existence. Use the tools you already have. Mute those annoying groups. Drain that spam folder every now and then. And most importantly, don't apologize for it. You're not rude, you're just clever with your internet health.
Technology is supposed to make life easier, not stressful. If emails and notifications are stressing you out, then something has to be done about it. And who knows, you may even find yourself enjoying those few seconds when your phone is not buzzing every other second.
Now, if you don't mind, I have to go now to tidy up my spam mailbox and mute a few group chats. Here's to a calmer online existence!
The image used is AI generated.
Posted Using INLEO
