As I also mentioned in some of my previous posts, Interruptions in digital systems are no longer limited to isolated notification events. In smart devices and social media platforms, interruption has become a persistent interaction condition shaped by continuous connectivity, algorithmic attention capture and social expectations. Rather than being occasional disruptions, interruptions are increasingly embedded into everyday interaction flows, influencing how users relocate their attention and switch tasks while using it.
Research on social media distraction consistently shows that interruptions operate through both external and internal mechanisms. External interruptions include notifications, alerts, and interface prompts, while internal interruptions emerge as urges, thoughts or habitual checking behaviors triggered by platform design.1 This distinction is important for interaction design, as it shifts the problem from simply “reducing notifications” toward understanding how interfaces create conditions that sustain attentional vulnerability even in the absence of explicit prompts.
Several studies demonstrate that social media interruptions negatively affect task performance and cognitive efficiency. Experimental work by Marotta and Acquisti5 shows that even brief social media interruptions can reduce performance on cognitively demanding tasks, particularly when users resume work without structural support. Similarly, Okoshi et al.6 found that frequent smartphone notifications increase cognitive load and disrupt task continuity, reinforcing the idea that interruption cost is cumulative rather than momentary.
At the same time, interruptions persist because they fulfill social and psychological needs. Koessmeier and Büttner1 identify social connection and fear of missing out as central drivers of social media distraction, alongside task avoidance and self-regulation failure. This aligns with findings from Tams et al.7, who show that restricting smartphone access can increase stress and social threat perceptions, suggesting that interruption is not only a usability issue but also an affective and relational one. From an HCI perspective, this reinforces the idea that interruptions cannot be evaluated solely in terms of efficiency loss.
Smart devices makes this dynamic more intense by extending interruption beyond the smartphone. Wearables, smart assistants and ambient displays introduce new channels through which attention can be captured or fragmented. Light and Cassidy3 frame this condition as one where disconnection itself becomes a socially and economically charged act, making uninterrupted interaction increasingly difficult to sustain. In such environments, interruption becomes a structural property of interaction ecosystems rather than a design flaw in a single interface.
Recent work has begin to explore design interventions that do not simply suppress interruptions but reshape how and when they occur. Weber et al.8 examine user-defined notification delay, showing that allowing users to postpone interruptions can reduce perceived disruption without eliminating access to information. Okoshi et al.’s Attelia6 system similarly demonstrates that context-aware notification management can lower cognitive load by aligning interruptions with moments of lower demand.
More recent approaches focus on changing attention capture patterns at a system level. Some researchers introduce the concept of “Purpose Mode,” which reduces distraction by altering how social media interfaces surface content during goal-directed activities. Rather than blocking access, such systems attempt to weaken damaging attention loops while preserving user groups. This reflects a broader shift away from binary solutions toward adaptive interaction strategies.
Taken all together, these studies suggest that interruption in smart devices and social media should be understood as a “design tradeoff” rather than a problem to be eliminated. Interruptions support connection, awareness and engagement but they also fragment attention and increase cognitive strain. The challenge for interaction design is not to remove interruptions, but to shape them in ways that respect user capacity, context, and recovery.
This positions interruption as a central concern for contemporary interaction design. As smart devices and social platforms increasingly mediate everyday activity, designers must consider how systems distribute attention over time, how interruptions accumulate, and how users regain control after disruption. Rather than asking how to stop interruption, the more productive question becomes how to design interactions that acknowledge interruption as an inevitable condition and respond to it responsibly.
References
- Koessmeier, C., & Büttner, O. B. (2021). Why are we distracted by social media? Distraction situations and strategies, reasons for distraction, and individual differences. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 711416.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.711416 - Lee, M., et al. (2025). Purpose Mode: Reducing distraction through toggling attention capture damaging patterns on social media.
- Light, A., & Cassidy, E. (2014). Strategies for the suspension and prevention of connection: Rendering disconnection as socioeconomic practice.
- Liu, Y. (Year). The attention crisis of digital interfaces and how to consume media more mindfully.
- Marotta, V., & Acquisti, A. (2018). Interrupting interruptions: A digital experiment on social media and performance.
- Okoshi, T., et al. (2015). Attelia: Reducing users’ cognitive load due to interruptive notifications on smartphones.
- Tams, S., et al. (2018). Smartphone withdrawal creates stress: A moderated mediation model of nomophobia, social threat, and stress.
- Weber, F., et al. (2018). Snooze! Investigating the user-defined deferral of mobile notifications.
AI Assistance Disclaimer:
AI tools were used at certain stages of the research process, primarily for source exploration, grammar refinement and structural editing. All conceptual development, analysis and final writing were made by the author.
