A recent comprehensive study has pulled back the curtain on the subtle yet powerful ways social media platforms command our attention, revealing that the notifications from an app like Snapchat may not be as innocent as they appear. Research conducted by Bits of Freedom, a digital rights organization, suggests the platform employs a sophisticated strategy of misleading and manipulative alerts designed to maximize user engagement. This practice is not just a matter of annoyance; it raises significant legal questions, potentially placing the company in violation of European regulations like the Digital Services Act (DSA), which explicitly prohibits such deceptive designs on very large online platforms. The findings serve as a critical foundation for potential enforcement actions and add a sense of urgency to calls for stronger regulations, such as the forthcoming Digital Fairness Act, to protect users from an increasingly aggressive digital attention economy. This investigation meticulously deconstructs the psychological impact of these notifications and what they mean for the future of digital rights.
A Calculated Bid for Engagement
The very purpose of notifications has fundamentally shifted within the digital landscape, evolving from simple tools of information to primary weapons in the war for user attention. In what is now commonly known as the “attention economy,” platforms are in constant competition for a user’s limited cognitive resources. Because social media companies like Snapchat primarily generate revenue through advertising, their entire business model is predicated on maximizing the time users spend within their app. This financial incentive has driven the creation of an endless stream of algorithmically generated alerts, including suggestions for new content and trending topics, that have little to do with direct communication between users. This constant barrage can lead to a state of perpetual distraction, compelling individuals to spend more time on their devices than they might otherwise choose. This environment, purposefully engineered for excessive use, is further amplified by in-app features like Snapstreaks and infinite scrolling, which work in concert with the notifications to keep users hooked.
This strategic manipulation is particularly concerning given Snapchat’s immense popularity among younger demographics, a group that may be more susceptible to these persuasive design techniques. Previous analyses had already identified specific tactics used by the platform, such as “recapture notifications” that are specifically designed to entice inactive users back into the app. Another identified method involves “fake friend notifications,” which mimic the appearance of personal messages but are actually platform-generated suggestions or content alerts. These notifications are crafted to exploit the user’s social expectations, creating a sense of urgency or social obligation that is entirely artificial. The cumulative effect of these features creates a digital environment where user autonomy is subtly eroded, replaced by a set of behaviors guided and reinforced by the platform’s own commercial objectives. The new study builds upon this existing knowledge by providing concrete evidence of the scale and intentionality of these manipulative practices, highlighting a systemic issue rather than isolated design flaws.
Uncovering the Platform’s Strategy
To systematically uncover Snapchat’s notification practices, Bits of Freedom conducted a meticulous two-part investigation that combined a controlled case study with qualitative user interviews. The first phase involved monitoring a test Snapchat account over a six-week period under six distinct experimental conditions. The researchers manipulated two key variables: the frequency of app usage and whether the test account followed any public figures. For the first three weeks, the account followed no one; in week one, the app was never opened; in week two, it was opened once a day for five minutes; and in week three, it was opened four times a day. These three conditions were then precisely replicated for the final three weeks, with the sole difference being that the account then followed ten public figures. This rigorous methodology allowed the researchers to isolate how Snapchat’s notification algorithm responds to different levels of user activity and inactivity, providing a clear window into its underlying engagement strategy.
The most telling result from the case study emerged from the condition of complete inactivity. The platform sent the highest volume of notifications when the app was left entirely unopened and the test account followed no one. This finding strongly indicates a deliberate “recapture” strategy aimed at luring dormant users back to the platform, proving that the alerts are often driven by the company’s internal engagement metrics rather than by any genuine, user-relevant activity. The qualitative phase of the study complemented this data by exploring the human experience behind the numbers. Through thirteen semi-structured interviews with social media users, researchers gathered insights into how people perceive and interact with notifications. These conversations revealed a widespread sense of frustration and disruption caused by alerts, especially those related to recommended content. This user dissatisfaction often led individuals to disable notifications for certain applications, signaling a clear disconnect between the platform’s goals and the user’s desire for a controlled, less intrusive digital experience.
The Path Toward Digital Fairness
The interviews with users exposed a significant element of deception in how notifications are designed. A recurring theme was the misinterpretation of alerts; participants frequently reported mistaking a notification for a personal message from a friend, only to open the app and discover it was an impersonal alert about recommended content. This ambiguity appears intentional, leveraging the user’s anticipation of social connection to drive app opens. Similarly, users often confused platform-generated “friend suggestions” with actual “friend requests,” a confusion that underscores the deliberately vague nature of the notification’s design. A specific point of irritation was the app badge—the small red dot with a number on the app’s icon. Users reported turning these off because they induced anxiety and created a persistent feeling of having “unfinished tasks,” contributing to a cluttered and stressful digital environment. This was compounded by the presence of in-app badges, which users cannot disable, that serve to guide behavior toward specific features.
The collective findings of the study presented a compelling case that Snapchat’s notification strategies constituted a form of manipulative design that could be in direct violation of the Digital Services Act. In response, Bits of Freedom formulated concrete policy recommendations to foster a fairer digital space. The proposals included requiring platforms to have all non-essential notifications disabled by default, forcing users to consciously opt-in to receive alerts. It was also recommended that users be given simple, granular control over notification categories, allowing them to easily distinguish between essential communications like direct messages and platform-generated content. Furthermore, this control should extend to in-app badges, empowering users to disable these internal visual cues. Following this research, the organization committed to informing Snapchat of its findings and formally contacting the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets to request an investigation. The full report was also slated to be shared with policymakers to inform the development of the upcoming Digital Fairness Act, ensuring that these critical insights could contribute to stronger, more user-centric regulations in the future.
