If the number of emails, text messages and spam calls isn’t enough to deal with, suddenly you are inundated with an overwhelming number of notifications from your social media apps. At first, it seems exciting to be notified that people are showing interest in your profile or posts, but later, you realize that it was just a way to get you to open the app and engage with others.
While these notifications initially look personal or important, you may realize after clicking on a few of these alerts that they aren’t what they seem. Often they are simply notifying you of activity that other people in your social media “circle” may be up to on the platform and not necessarily about you or your actual post. Many social media companies are “pushing” these pseudo-relevant notifications in an attempt to get more engagement from their users.
CLICK TO GET KURT’S FREE CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH SECURITY ALERTS, QUICK VIDEO TIPS, TECH REVIEWS AND EASY HOW-TO’S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER
LinkedIn notifications (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
If you’re tired of opening these notifications only to be distracted or disappointed, below are some ways to manage these potentially annoying notifications and put the power back in your hands.
If you want to adjust how often and what kind of notifications you receive from your social media apps, you can find the options in the app’s settings. Here are some examples of how to change notifications within the apps.
Managing Facebook notification (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
Managing Facebook notification (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
Managing Facebook notification (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
Managing Facebook notification (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
Managing Facebook notification (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
Managing Instagram notification (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
Managing Instagram notification (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
Managing Instagram notification (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
Managing Instagram notification (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
MORE: DON’T FALL FOR THIS SNEAKY NOTIFICATION THAT’S FOOLING PEOPLE ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM
Managing LinkedIn notification (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
Managing LinkedIn notification (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
Managing LinkedIn notification (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
MORE: TIPS TO FOLLOW FROM ONE INCREDIBLY COSTLY CONVERSATION WITH CYBERCROOKS
These social media companies are finding new, creative ways to get you to open their app and interact with its content. If going app to app and different types of notifications are overwhelming, you can also choose to control notifications from your device.
On the iPhone:
You can either manage notifications or set boundaries on your phone using the “Focus” feature.
To manage notifications or specific app notifications:
Managing notifications on iPhone (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
Turn off allow notifications on iPhone (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
GET MORE OF MY SECURITY ALERTS, QUICK TIPS & EASY VIDEO TUTORIALS WITH THE FREE CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER – CLICK HERE
How to use the “Focus” feature to customize your notifications and contacts on iPhone and Android.
iPhone:
To utilize the Focus feature on iPhone (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)
On an Android:
Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer.
You can’t control how social media apps will try to lure your attention away from your work and life and redirect it to their app. What you can control is whether they get your attention in the first place by controlling how and when you get notifications.
Are you willing to go app by app to adjust notification settings to your liking? Or will you control notifications directly from your device? Do you get a ton of notifications that you can’t even comb through? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
For more of my tech tips & security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.
Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover.
Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:
Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
New research suggests Mars could have enough water under its surface to form a global…
The Perseid meteor shower peaks late Sunday night, and given that it will be paired…
An Italian-led team of scientists say they have confirmed evidence of a sizable cave on…
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is now threatening to force a vote on a measure…
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took to social media to call out critics who say President…
Former Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, who served with President Biden in Congress for over 20…