'Twisted' psychology behind why social media apps have different notification sounds

A popular YouTuber has detailed the reason why some social media apps have different notification sounds and why many developers may choose to ignore personalization options.

iPhone and Android notifications come in all shapes and sizes: there are important work messages, hooks to get you back doom-scrolling on X and money-off vouchers to convince you to browse your favorite shopping app.

As well as push notifications, many companies utilise UX design choices such as sound and color to make you flip open their dedicated smartphone applications.

Social media apps sometimes utilise the same notification sound (Nur Photo/Getty)

Seeing a notification in red - such as an Instagram message or an incoming email - has scientifically been proven to evoke a psychological response.

According to a 2009 study published in the National Library of Medicine, the colour red ‘possesses emotion-eliciting properties’.

The research claims people associate red notifications with ‘negative, danger-bearing emotions since it is the color of fire, blood, anger, and sometimes of poisonous or dangerous animals.’

This is backed up by another study published two years later, where scientists discovered participants who were exposed to red several seconds before a motor task had their production impaired, thus causing anxiety.

Similarly, app devs often use or exploit the lack of notification sounds to get you back on their social media apps.

As popular YouTuber Mrwhosetheboss, AKA Arun Maini, outlined late last month, some apps like Slack have unique notification sounds and vibration patterns.

That’s so if you get a Slack message on your lunch break, you know it’s your colleague trying to get in touch and not a family member texting you in peril or your crush finally messaging you back on Facebook.

App notifications can be turned off in settings (MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images)

Maini claims that tech companies that don’t utilise these specific sound notification are a lot more bothersome.

“The reality of what these tech companies do to keep you addicted is quite a lot deeper and to be really frank, more twisted,” he said in a YouTube video, titled: “Social Media is secretly becoming a Casino.”

During the 12-minute, 34-second clip he claimed: “Social media doesn’t addict you by always giving you something good, which is the common perception. It addicts you because there can be something great.

“That’s why many social media platforms actually choose not to use their own unique social media sounds.

“It’s to social media’s advantage to have their notifications blend in with each other.”

Maini went on to liken notifications to gambling and casinos—sometimes you will receive a rewarding push and other times you will receive one that isn’t so lucky.

According to research conducted earlier this year, people check their phones 58 times per day and over half of these occur during work hours.

So while Slack definitely benefits from having unique notification sounds, sometimes it’s often better for social media apps to use the same one as their competitors.

That way, you’re more likely to pick your phone up and check the ding because frankly, you have no idea what it could be.

If you want to improve your focus, combat digital dependency and take charge of your time, you may want to disable those app noises sooner, rather than later.