@@ -1,11 +1,47 @@
---
title: "Pull vs push: intentional notifications"
-date: 2023-03-16T17:20:32-04:00
+date: 2023-03-20T12:15:00-04:00
draft: true
toc: true
+categories: ["Technology"]
+tags:
+ - Health
+ - Internet
+ - Mindfulness
+ - Productivity
+ - Web
---
-Some kind of intro here
+I've recently noticed that many of my peers are sometimes overwhelmed by the
+internet; they feel as if they're stretched too thin and that their attention is
+constantly shifting between too many different platforms. I think a _portion_ of
+that feeling comes from systems that bombard them with push notifications. In
+games, this introduces a sense of urgency because you want make the most of your
+time and use your "lives" or "energy" or whatever efficiently. With social
+media, these reminders tend to incite a fear of missing out (FOMO), making you
+feel like you need to open the app to connect with friends and avoid missing
+out. With news apps, the notifications are usually click-bait headlines
+specifically selected to make you open the app so you can see what's going on.
+
+But most of that isn't _really_ necessary. If something on social media is
+genuinely that urgent, it should be a call or an instant message. Social media
+can be checked at the end of the day. The same goes for news; if a headline is
+really that important, it'll still be there in a couple hours. If a game needs
+to remind its players that it exists, it's probably not particularly fun or
+memorable.
+
+On Android, when users first open an app, they're often asked to give that app
+permission to send notifications. They hit `Allow` without thinking because they
+just want to use the app, exactly like what happens when asked to agree to a
+privacy policy and terms of service. Most of these apps would be able to fill
+their purpose just as well _without_ sending notifications, but we're more
+concerned with _using_ the app so we just don't think about it.
+
+On their phones, my peers usually have a list of notifications a mile long, full
+of new emails and YouTube videos and Slack messages and "your lives are
+restored!" messages from mobile games and so much more. I think reducing that
+barrage — on all systems, not just phones — is a great way to start building a
+healthier relationship with technology.
## Pushed-based
@@ -52,7 +88,13 @@ boundaries and being thoughtful with your time is important.
## Pull-based
-
+With a push-based system, you receive notifications on others' schedules, which
+might not line up well with your own. In a pull-based system, you receive
+"notifications" on _your_ schedule. You see what happened on social media when
+you log in, you receive emails when you explicitly fetch them, you see chat
+messages when you open the app, etc. This allows you to decide when you're ready
+to interact with that system, whether "ready" is every ten minutes, once you're
+in the office, or during breakfast.
## Some suggestions
@@ -64,32 +106,35 @@ Disable push notifications for YouTube, Twitter, Reddit, etc. Maybe consider
using alternative clients for those services that are more user-respecting in
general.
-Religiously unsubscribe from everything that clutters up your inbox. If you
-don't actively want to see it, unsubscribe from it or write a rule that marks it
-as reads and immediately shoves it in your archive. Inboxes are for pertinent,
+Religiously unsubscribe from everything that clutters your inbox. If you don't
+actively want to see it, unsubscribe from it or write a rule that marks it as
+reads and immediately shoves it in your archive. Inboxes are for pertinent,
important information; the latest shoe sale at your preferred big-box store is
neither.
-Get an [RSS reader!][rssr] Please!
+Get a [feed reader!][rssr] Please!
[rssr]: https://wikipedia.org/wiki/News_aggregator
They allow you to subscribe to multiple sources of information — like news
websites, YouTube channels, blogs, etc. — and aggregate that content into one
place. You can read what you want when you want without having anything thrust
-in your face by The Algorithm™. Depending on the reader, you can sort sources
-into categories or folders that allow you to focus on one thing at a time rather
-than being treated to a firehose of the internet.
+in your face. Depending on which feed reader you select, you can also sort
+sources into categories or folders that allow you to focus on one thing at a
+time, rather than being treated to a firehose of the internet.
If you're looking for a service, check out [Feedbin,][fb] [NewsBlur,][nb]
-[Feeder,][feeder] [Feedly,][fdly] and [Inoreader.][ino] Be thoughtful about
-enabling notifications though.
+[Feeder,][feeder] [Feedly,][fdly] and [Inoreader.][ino] Changelog, a
+developer-focused podcast, [interviewed the creator of Feedbin][cif] and I quite
+enjoyed the episode. Be thoughtful when enabling push notifications in readers
+that support it.
[fb]: https://feedbin.com
[nb]: https://newsblur.com
[feeder]: https://feeder.co
[fdly]: https://feedly.com
[ino]: https://www.inoreader.com
+[cif]: https://changelog.com/podcast/240
If you're into self-hosting, I highly recommend [yarr.][yarr] At the time of
writing, I've been using yarr for 6 months and don't see myself switching any
@@ -100,11 +145,12 @@ theme.][yarr-theme]
[yarr]: https://github.com/nkanaev/yarr/
[yarr-theme]: https://github.com/nkanaev/yarr/issues/46#issuecomment-798896310
-If you do adopt RSS, I strongly recommend migrating your _important_ newsletter
-subscriptions to [_Kill the Newsletter!_][ktn] It generates an email, you
-subscribe to the newsletter with that email address, and it appends each email
-to a unique RSS feed generated just for you. At the time of writing, I receive 7
-newsletters as RSS feeds and it's a pleasant experience.
+If you do adopt a feed reader, whichever it is, I strongly recommend migrating
+your _important_ newsletter subscriptions to [_Kill the Newsletter!_][ktn] The
+service generates an email address, you subscribe to the newsletter with that
+email address, and it appends each email to a unique feed generated just for
+you. At the time of writing, I receive 7 newsletters as feeds and it's a
+wonderful experience.
[ktn]: https://kill-the-newsletter.com