The DOI matches its Crossref record; 103 of the 104 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 65 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.
Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories
Open accessAbstract
Currently about 2.71 billion humans use a smartphone worldwide. Although smartphone technology has brought many advances, a growing number of scientists discuss potential detrimental effects due to excessive smartphone use. Of importance, the likely culprit to understand over-usage is not the smartphone itself, but the excessive use of applications installed on smartphones. As the current business model of many app-developers foresees an exchange of personal data for allowance to use an app, it is not surprising that many design elements can be found in social media apps and Freemium games prolonging app usage. It is the aim of the present work to analyze several prominent smartphone apps to carve out such elements. As a result of the analysis, a total of six different mechanisms are highlighted to illustrate the prevailing business model in smartphone app development. First, these app-elements are described and second linked to classic psychological/economic theories such as the mere-exposure effect, endowment effect, and Zeigarnik effect, but also to psychological mechanisms triggering social comparison. It is concluded that many of the here presented app-elements on smartphones are able to prolong usage time, but it is very hard to understand such an effect on the level of a single element. A systematic analysis would require insights into app data usually only being available for the app-designers, but not for independent scientists. Nevertheless, the present work supports the notion that it is time to critically reflect on the prevailing business model of ‘user data in exchange for app-use allowance’. Instead of using a service in exchange for data, it ultimately might be better to ban or regulate certain design elements in apps to come up with less addictive products. Instead, users could pay a reasonable fee for an app service.
Overview
AI snapshot
Written from the paper’s full text.
TL;DR
This theoretical paper analyzes prominent social media/messenger apps and Freemium games to identify six design mechanisms likely intended to prolong usage, linking them to psychological and economic theories. It argues that these elements may contribute to addictive app use, but independent scientists lack the platform data needed to quantify their individual or interactive effects.
Key findings
- The paper highlights six mechanisms: endless scrolling/streaming and flow; endowment/mere exposure effects; social pressure; showing users what they like; social comparison and social reward; and the Zeigarnik/Ovsiankina effect.
- It cites about 2.71 billion smartphone users worldwide, WhatsApp at about 1.5 billion users, and a German sample in which about 30% of daily smartphone use was accounted for by WhatsApp and Facebook.
- Candy Crush Saga is reported as downloaded 2.7 billion times in five years, and U.S. gamers in early 2016 played an average of 3.6 mobile games per month and 1.3 daily.
- The paper notes overlap between Smartphone Use Disorder and WhatsApp Use Disorder (rho = 0.68) and discusses neural reward findings, including stronger ventral striatum activity for Instagram pictures with many “Likes.”
Methods
- This is not a systematic review; it is a theoretical/conceptual analysis of prominent apps such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Candy Crush.
- The authors present six app features in alphabetic order and link them to classic psychological/economic theories, including flow, endowment effect, mere exposure effect, nudging, social comparison, and Zeigarnik/Ovsiankina effects.
- No primary empirical data collection or statistical modeling is reported; the work synthesizes prior literature and examples.
Limitations
- The paper states it is theoretical and that its assumption that mechanisms were purely designed to prolong usage is speculative; it also notes that developers’ intentions cannot be known for sure.
- It states that independent scientists usually lack access to platform data from Facebook or Candy Crush Saga, making it hard to study how strongly each feature affects usage time or how features interact.
- Evident from the text: the analysis is not systematic, does not empirically test the proposed mechanisms, and relies on selected examples and prior literature rather than controlled app-level data.
Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.
Integrity signals
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Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
36 Not checked yet · 23 Own interpretation · 5 No basis given
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Flow is needed and warranted in different kinds of work processes, however, it can actually be ‘fatal’ in the case of applications on the smartphone or other ‘ubiquitous’ devices, when attention should be focused somewhere else”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.1. Endless Scrolling/Streaming and the Concept of Flow
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
In the paper
“Users on WhatsApp are nudged (to encourage someone to do something in a way that is gentle rather than forceful or direct [59]) to communicate fast and often on WhatsApp due to the ‘double tick function’.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.3. Social Pressure
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [59] Thaler, R., and Sunstein, C. (2008). Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth and Happiness, Yale University Press. Penguin Books.
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
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- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Also, of importance is the mere exposure effect [56]. The mere exposure effect describes that the more often you are exposed to a certain (neutral) thing or application (here a game), the more you like it. This has even been shown for the initials of your name (for an introduction in the initial preference task, e.g., see Sariyska et al. [57]) and seems to be applicable also for many of the gaming”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.2. Endowment Effect/Mere Exposure Effect
What the sources say
hedgeddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“many design elements can be found in social media apps and Freemium games prolonging app usage”
- Also stated in: § 4. Discussion · boosted
“The depicted elements/features embedded in psychological and economic theory underline the notion that these elements indeed have been designed to prolong app usage.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > Abstract
boosteddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Rests on an assumption: The prevailing business model of many app developers exchanges personal data for allowance to use an app.
- Also stated in: § 4. Discussion · boosted
In the paper
“Moreover, a recent work by Sha et al. [28] showed that the concepts of SUD and WhatsApp Use Disorder overlap in large parts (correlation of rho = 0.68).”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 1. Introduction > 1.1. Perils of Smartphone Use
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Sha et al. [28] Sha, 2019, Linking Internet Communication and Smartphone Use Disorder by Taking a Closer Look at the Facebook and WhatsApp Applications, Addict. Behav. Rep.
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
In the paper
“In a work by Montag et al. [35] it has been demonstrated that about 30% of daily smartphone use is accounted for by WhatsApp and Facebook usage in a German sample mainly ranging between ca. 15 and 35 years.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 1. Introduction > 1.1. Perils of Smartphone Use
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Montag et al. [35] Montag, C., Błaszkiewicz, K., Sariyska, R., Lachmann, B., Andone, I., Trendafilov, B., Eibes, M., and Markowetz, A. (2015). Smartphone Usage in the 21st Century: Who Is Active on WhatsApp?. BMC Res. Notes, 8. source
boosted- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“With an increasing amount of data, revenues tend to rise, due to more effective microtargeting (i.e., sending a person customized ads).”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 2. Methods
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Although, the different strains of research presented so far in Section 1 led to valuable insights into the nature of IUDs, only few studies until now aim to understand why specific online applications and their in-built elements are potentially addictive [44,45].”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 1. Introduction > 1.2. Main Research Questions in the Available Literature Investigated so Far
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [44] King, 2011, The Role of Structural Characteristics in Problematic Video Game Play: An Empirical Study, Int. J. Ment. Health Addict. source
- Not checked yetcites [45] Alutaybi, 2018, Designing Social Networks to Combat Fear of Missing Out, Proc. Br. HCI
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Correctly, it has been pointed out, that the smartphone does not represent the culprit to understand excessive use of this device [28,29]. Instead one must focus on the manifold installed applications on the smartphones to understand why people are getting ‘hooked’ to their devices [30].”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 1. Introduction > 1.1. Perils of Smartphone Use
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [28] Sha, 2019, Linking Internet Communication and Smartphone Use Disorder by Taking a Closer Look at the Facebook and WhatsApp Applications, Addict. Behav. Rep.
- Not checked yetcites [29] Leung, H., Pakpour, A.H., Strong, C., Lin, Y.C., Tsai, M.C., Griffiths, M.D., Lin, C.-Y., and Chen, I.H. (2019). Measurement invariance across young adults from Hong Kong and Taiwan among three internet-related addiction scales: Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS), and Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS-SF9) (Study Part A). Addict. Behav. source
- Not checked yetcites [30] Alter, A. (2017). Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked, Penguin Press.
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“One technique used to prolong usage time in this context is the endless scrolling/streaming feature.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.1. Endless Scrolling/Streaming and the Concept of Flow
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- It may state two separate claims as one. 22
- Probably not a substantial claim. 15
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“This process is also known to undermine well-being [60] and might in parts be responsible for rising social concerns when people start to use smartphones [61].”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.3. Social Pressure
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [60] Blabst, N., and Diefenbach, S. (2017, January 3–6). WhatsApp and Wellbeing: A Study on WhatsApp Usage, Communication Quality and Stress. Proceedings of the 31st British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Conference, Sunderland, UK. source
- Not checked yetcites [61] Hadar, A., Hadas, I., Lazarovits, A., Alyagon, U., Eliraz, D., and Zangen, A. (2017). Answering the Missed Call: Initial Exploration of Cognitive and Electrophysiological Changes Associated with Smartphone Use and Abuse. PLoS ONE, 12. source
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“According to statista.com, “In early 2016 … U.S. gamers played an average of 3.6 mobile games per month, and 1.3 games on a daily basis” [36].”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 1. Introduction > 1.1. Perils of Smartphone Use
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [36] Statista (2019, April 03). Available online: https://www.statista.com/topics/1906/mobile-gaming/.
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The endowment and the mere exposure effect play important roles in the areas of social media and games.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.2. Endowment Effect/Mere Exposure Effect
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: fails — The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds. It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“By endlessly scrolling down, the user is getting more and more immersed (perhaps also on a motor level as perceiving the scrolling as a playful activity) while not coming to a natural stop, where he/she might easily reconsider to quit or change the platform.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.1. Endless Scrolling/Streaming and the Concept of Flow
hedgeddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“As both sides know about these rules, social pressure emerges. Both parties likely expect a fast answer, above all, if the message apparently has been read.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.3. Social Pressure
hedgeddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“As with other games, progress without investing money is very slow, which means that after some fast progress at the beginning of the game (to attract people to the game), rewards in terms of the urgently needed relevant game currency are scarce.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.2. Endowment Effect/Mere Exposure Effect
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
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It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“In general, the ‘power of defaults’ is a well-known principle applicable to decision making in many different areas and especially in software applications [63,64].”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.3. Social Pressure
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [63] Dinner, 2011, Partitioning Default Effects: Why People Choose Not to Choose, J. Exp. Psychol. Appl. source
- Not checked yetcites [64] Kesan, 2006, Setting Software Defaults: Perspectives from Law, Computer Science and Behavioral Economics, Notre Dame Law Rev.
boosted- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In the context of smartphone games, this plays out as follows: every time players visit the app platform and invest more time in the construction of the virtual world, it will get harder for them to detach from the game or even delete the app. This is in particular the case, if the progress has been slow and it took the users a very long time to construct the online world.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.2. Endowment Effect/Mere Exposure Effect
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“App and platform technologies are designed to be immersive, hence producing flow while using a certain app.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.1. Endless Scrolling/Streaming and the Concept of Flow
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: unclear — It is unclear why the paper says it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“A new work underlines the overlap between SUD and excessive social media use, but also links between SUD and (Internet) Gaming Disorder [29].”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 1. Introduction > 1.1. Perils of Smartphone Use
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [29] Leung, H., Pakpour, A.H., Strong, C., Lin, Y.C., Tsai, M.C., Griffiths, M.D., Lin, C.-Y., and Chen, I.H. (2019). Measurement invariance across young adults from Hong Kong and Taiwan among three internet-related addiction scales: Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS), and Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS-SF9) (Study Part A). Addict. Behav. source
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Freemium games are very relevant for the present work investigating elements of apps built to prolong usage time, because such games most often run with the business model of ‘gaming service in exchange for your data’.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 1. Introduction > 1.1. Perils of Smartphone Use
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: fails — The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
- Rests on an assumption: The prevailing business model of many app developers exchanges personal data for allowance to use an app.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“A systematic analysis would require insights into app data usually only being available for the app-designers, but not for independent scientists.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > Abstract
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: fails — The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The default mode of WhatsApp comes with the ‘double tick function’ being activated. Most users do not know that they are able to deactivate this app-feature.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.3. Social Pressure
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
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It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“The latter effect is likely driven by social comparison processes, in particular when a person is confronted with thin models or other (thin) attractive persons [90]. These effects might be in particular strong on platforms such as Instagram and for those users with low self-esteem [91] and being female [92,93].”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 4. Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [90] Brown, 2016, Attractive celebrity and peer images on Instagram: Effect on women’s mood and body image, Body Image source
- Not checked yetcites [91] Ahadzadeh, 2017, Self-schema and self-discrepancy mediate the influence of Instagram usage on body image satisfaction among youth, Comput. Hum. Behav. source
- Not checked yetcites [92] Cohen, 2017, The relationship between Facebook and Instagram appearance-focused activities and body image concerns in young women, Body Image source
- Not checked yetcites [93] Meier, 2014, Facebook photo activity associated with body image disturbance in adolescent girls, Cyberpsychol. Behav. Soc. Netw. source
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
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It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Without doubt, the social comparison process is not unproblematic, because it might lead to lower self-esteem [79] and the size of one’s own real social network to be successfully handled seems to be limited by the so called Dunbar’s number (a theoretical limit to the number of people with whom any individual is able to sustain a stable or meaningful social relationship, usually considered to be”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.5. Social Comparison and Social Reward
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [79] Vogel, 2014, Social Comparison, Social Media, and Self-Esteem, Psychol. Pop. Media Cult. source
- Not checked yetcites [80] Dunbar, R. (2010). How Many Friends Does One Person Need? Dunbar’s Number and Other, Faber & Faber. source
- Not checked yetcites [81] Gonçalves, B., Perra, N., and Vespignani, A. (2011). Modeling Users’ Activity on Twitter Networks: Validation of Dunbar’s Number. PLoS ONE, 6. source
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
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It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Over the years, Facebook developed machine learning algorithms studying the behavior of their users in detail on the platform. In order to get to know their users better, they do not only record what people ‘like’ (i.e., give a ‘thumbs up’) but also how long they hover over a certain post. This could be interpreted as showing a special interest in a certain area. ‘Textmining’ enables Facebook & Co”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.4. Show Users of an App What They Like
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [67] Eichstaedt, 2018, Facebook Language Predicts Depression in Medical Records, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA source
- Not checked yetcites [68] Kramer, 2014, Experimental Evidence of Massive-Scale Emotional Contagion through Social Networks, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA source
- Not checked yetcites [69] Schwartz, H.A., Eichstaedt, J., Kern, M.L., Park, G., Sap, M., Stillwell, D., Kosinski, M., and Ungar, L. (, January June). Towards Assessing Changes in Degree of Depression through Facebook. Proceedings of the Workshop on Computational Linguistics and Clinical Psychology: From Linguistic Signal to Clinical Reality, Baltimore, MD, USA.
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Facebook has a great interest in studying the behavior of each person at perfection and in much detail, so that at best only such information is presented in the ‘Newsfeed’ which is most interesting for the user. Otherwise, people could get bored and close the browser window.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.4. Show Users of an App What They Like
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“In sum, these classic works from the field of psychology suggest that individuals involved in the execution of high investment tasks, react with (emotional) strain if interrupted. The final completion of the task will remove this strain.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.6. Zeĭgarnik/Ovsiankina Effect
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [82] Zeĭgarnik, B.V. (1927). Über das Behalten von Erledigten und Unerledigten Handlungen, J. Springer.
- Not checked yetcites [83] Rickers-Ovsiankina, M.A. (1928). Die Wiederaufnahme Unterbrochener Handlungen, Springer.
hedgeddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The analysis of the different elements presented in this paragraph technically can all be used to plant the most interesting news in one’s own personalized ‘Newsfeed’.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.4. Show Users of an App What They Like
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Social pressure plays not only a role on social media platforms to enhance user engagement, but also in computer games.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.3. Social Pressure
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“According to the I-PACE model [26] (and its recent update [86]), a history of psychopathology might indeed be a vulnerability factor to develop IUD (and its mobile form of SUD).”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 4. Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [26] Brand, 2016, Integrating Psychological and Neurobiological Considerations Regarding the Development and Maintenance of Specific Internet-Use Disorders: An Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) Model, Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. source
- Not checked yetcites [86] Brand, 2019, The Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model for addictive behaviors: Update, generalization to addictive behaviors beyond Internet-use disorders, and specification of the process character of addictive behaviors, Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. source
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“Of importance, apps on smartphones are not in general bad and not always cause negative emotionality or dissatisfaction with one’s own body image. In contrast, some applications might even foster physical activity and help persons to improve their diet [96].”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 4. Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [96] Schoeppe, 2017, Apps to improve diet, physical activity and sedentary behaviour in children and adolescents: A review of quality, features and behaviour change techniques, Int. J. Behav. Nutr. Phys. Act. source
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“In the classic work by Zeĭgarnik, participants of her study got interrupted while solving a puzzle and, in the aftermath, best remembered those tasks where they were interrupted compared to those tasks which they successfully could end. From the same work group, Rickers-Ovsiankina [83] then observed that persons not only seem to be better at remembering the tasks where they got interrupted, but”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.6. Zeĭgarnik/Ovsiankina Effect
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [82] Zeĭgarnik, B.V. (1927). Über das Behalten von Erledigten und Unerledigten Handlungen, J. Springer.
- Not checked yetcites [83] Rickers-Ovsiankina, M.A. (1928). Die Wiederaufnahme Unterbrochener Handlungen, Springer.
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Of note, when the game has not been played for a while, the gamer is endowed with five lives. Some levels are very hard to solve and in case of Candy Crush Saga it is even mentioned that a “super hard level” is coming up. As some of these levels are “super hard” to solve (rumor has it that it is even impossible at first try), players easily loose several of those free lives ending up with no”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.6. Zeĭgarnik/Ovsiankina Effect
hedgeddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Social comparison also plays a role in Freemium games, when one thinks of the highscore-boards where you can compare your scores in a game with those from others.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.5. Social Comparison and Social Reward
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: fails — The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
In the paper
“For instance, there is an anecdotal report by Microsoft that only 5% of Word users change the defaults settings [65].”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.3. Social Pressure
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [65] (2019, April 17). Available online: https://archive.uie.com/brainsparks/2011/09/14/do-users-change-their-settings/.
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“As such a guild in particular performs well when being complete, the pressure on the individual of such an online group rises to be at a certain time in the online world to support one’s own guild. This goes along with a stronger focus in life on online activities instead on perhaps more pressing issues in the offline world.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 3. Results > 3.3. Social Pressure
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Additional relevant areas discussed in the literature—probably being a result of too much online consumption—are links between IUD and BMI [88] and between IUD and body image avoidance [89].”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 4. Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [88] Canan, 2014, The relationship between internet addiction and body mass index in Turkish adolescents, Cyberpsychol. Behav. Soc. Netw. source
- Not checked yetcites [89] Rodgers, 2013, Internet addiction symptoms, disordered eating, and body image avoidance, Cyberpsychol. Behav. Soc. Netw. source
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
““consumers become instantaneously attached to and are reluctant to give up digital services once they have obtained them” ([102], p. 311).”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 4. Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [102] Fritze, 2019, Digital transformation and possession attachment: Examining the endowment effect for consumers’ relationships with hedonic and utilitarian digital service technologies, Electron. Commer. Res. source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“some developers, such as Justin Rosenstein, confess about the addictive nature of some of the presented elements [73].”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 5. Limitations and Changes of the Current Business Model in Apps?
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [73] (2019, April 03). Man Who Invented ‘Like’ Button Deletes Facebook App over Addiction Fears. Available online: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/facebook-like-inventor-deletes-app-iphone-justin-rosenstein-addiction-fears-a7986566.html.
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Such time distortions are a well-known companion of flow processes as described in 3.1.”
§ Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories > 4. Discussion
boostedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
The paper relies on this without support.
The prevailing business model of many app developers exchanges personal data for allowance to use an app.
“As the current business model of many app-developers foresees an exchange of personal data for allowance to use an app”
“The ‘classic’ app-business model of Silicon Valley asks the user not to pay with money to be able to use a certain application but with his/her personal data.”
The paper relies on this without support.
The apps analyzed, such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Candy Crush, are representative of social media/messenger platforms and Freemium games.
“These insights have been derived by analysis of prominent and often used apps such as Facebook, WhatsApp, or Candy Crush.”
“What follows is an overview of features built into social media/messenger and Freemium game applications likely prolonging app usage.”
The authors state this as an assumption.
The mechanisms have been purely designed to prolong usage time of an app.
“Clearly, our assumption that these mechanisms have been purely designed to prolong usage time of an app is speculative”
The paper relies on this without support.
Studies are largely lacking that aim at understanding how strongly each of the aforementioned features of the platforms/games impacts upon usage time.
“To our knowledge, studies are largely lacking aiming at an understanding of how strong each of the aforementioned features of the platforms/games impact upon usage time.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Companies such as Facebook and Google earn their money with data.
“because companies such as Facebook and Google earn their money with data.”
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“Relatedly, social media has been described as difficult to disengage from, reflecting the potency of the algorithms and the functionalities that engage users [74].”
Citations
Cites
Toward a positive theory of consumer choice
Thaler, R. H. (1980) · Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization · doi:10.1016/0167-2681(80)90051-7 · Cited by 5,796 · cited 1×
“Where do the endowment effect and the mere exposure effect come in? The endowment effect describes that buying or owning a product leads to a higher (emotionally felt) value of the product, often way beyond its actual value [54,55].”
BackgroundAnomalies: The Endowment Effect, Loss Aversion, and Status Quo Bias
Kahneman, D., Knetsch, J. L., & Thaler, R. H. (1991) · Journal of Economic Perspectives · doi:10.1257/jep.5.1.193 · Cited by 5,019 · cited 1×
“Where do the endowment effect and the mere exposure effect come in? The endowment effect describes that buying or owning a product leads to a higher (emotionally felt) value of the product, often way beyond its actual value [54,55].”
BackgroundSocial media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media
Kietzmann, J. H., Hermkens, K., McCarthy, I. P., & Silvestre, B. S. (2011) · Business Horizons · doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2011.01.005 · Cited by 4,970 · cited 1×
“[111] is mentioned, because it represents one of the first models to systematically analyze the diverse building blocks of social media.”
BackgroundMotivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out
Przybylski, A. K., Murayama, K., DeHaan, C. R., & Gladwell, V. (2013) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2013.02.014 · Cited by 3,932
Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion through social networks
Kramer, A. D. I., Guillory, J. E., & Hancock, J. T. (2014) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1320040111 · Cited by 3,687
Brand, M., Young, K. S., Laier, C., Wölfling, K., & Potenza, M. N. (2016) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.08.033 · Cited by 2,416 · cited 2×
“[26], the term IUD is also used in the following.”
MethodBrand, M., Wegmann, E., Stark, R., Müller, A., Wölfling, K., Robbins, T. W., & Potenza, M. N. (2019) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.06.032 · Cited by 2,126 · cited 1×
“According to the I-PACE model [26] (and its recent update [86]), a history of psychopathology might indeed be a vulnerability factor to develop IUD (and its mobile form of SUD).”
MethodDevelopment and Validation of a Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS)
Kwon, M., Lee, J.-Y., Won, W.-Y., Park, J.-W., Min, J.-A., Hahn, C., Gu, X., Choi, J.-H., & Kim, D.-J. (2013) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056936 · Cited by 1,670
Social comparison, social media, and self-esteem.
Vogel, E. A., Rose, J. P., Roberts, L. R., & Eckles, K. (2014) · Psychology of Popular Media Culture · doi:10.1037/ppm0000047 · Cited by 1,418 · cited 1×
“Without doubt, the social comparison process is not unproblematic, because it might lead to lower self-esteem [79] and the size of one’s own real social network to be successfully handled seems to be limited by the so called Dunbar’s number (a theoretical limit to the number of people with whom any individual is able…”
BackgroundMere Exposure: A Gateway to the Subliminal
Zajonc, R. B. (2001) · Current Directions in Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/1467-8721.00154 · Cited by 1,299 · cited 1×
“Also, of importance is the mere exposure effect [56].”
Background
Research works printed but not linked: 4
- Thaler, R., and Sunstein, C. (2008). Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth and Happiness, Yale University Press. Penguin Books.
- Zeĭgarnik, B.V. (1927). Über das Behalten von Erledigten und Unerledigten Handlungen, J. Springer.
- Rickers-Ovsiankina, M.A. (1928). Die Wiederaufnahme Unterbrochener Handlungen, Springer.
- Andone, I., Błaszkiewicz, K., Trendafilov, B., Eibes, M., Montag, C., and Markowetz, A. (2016, January 7–12). Menthal—Running a Science Project as a Start-Up. Proceedings of the Computing in Mental Health, Workshop at CHI 2016, San Jose, CA, USA. · DOI
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 301–385 of 385
Ismail, H., Mamat, A., Ibrahim, H., Mokhtar, N. A., & Zailan, M. N. A. (2025) · Open Journal of Social Sciences · doi:10.4236/jss.2025.137008
A View of Social Media from a Clinician’s Couch
Grant, D. (2025) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197689875.013.0004
The McNair Team (2023) · McNair Scholars Research Journal · doi:10.32855/2642-2492.1155
Amplifying delusions: How social media can negatively impact our mental well-being
Crespi, B. J., & Yang, N. Y. (2025) · doi:10.64628/aam.6dhsa9667
TikTok may be bad for privacy, but is it also harming our cognitive abilities?
McCormick, C. R. (2023) · doi:10.64628/aam.jffs7nup4
Rey, L., Quintana‐Orts, C., Yudes, C., Peláez-Fernández, M. Á., & Mérida‐López, S. (2025) · UMA Editorial eBooks · doi:10.24310/mumaedmumaed.247
# BloodDonation : How European Blood Banks Use Social Media to Reach Donors and Non‐Donors
Ciaușescu, A., Merz, E., de Wit, A., Bekkers, R., de Jong, J., & Jansen, L. (2025) · Journal of Philanthropy · doi:10.1002/nvsm.70029
Zhao, Y., Luo, Y., Miao, Y., Li, J., Hou, Q., Dallakoti, N., & Wu, Y. (2025) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-025-14198-3
“For item N6, both Infit and Outfit MNSQ values were below 0.5 which may reflect the widespread adoption of smartphones 38 .”
InfluentialTemur, C. S., Dinç, A., Köroğlu, Y., & Karakilic, M. (2025) · International Journal Of Eurasia Social Sciences · doi:10.70736/ijoess.1763
“Digital addiction can be defined as an excessive dependence on digital technologies that may harm both the personal and professional domains (Andreassen et al., 2012; Montag et al., 2019).”
InfluentialHo, T. T. Q., Nguyễn, H. T., & Dau, M. L. (2025) · Psychology Health & Medicine · doi:10.1080/13548506.2025.2571985
“…including Facebook, are designed to maximize user engagement by providing personalized news feeds and positive reinforcement, such as likes and loves, which encourage prolonged use (Gugushvili et al., 2022; Montag et al., 2019, Montag et al., 2021; Sherman et al., 2016, Sherman et al., 2018).”
Conceptual framework for game addiction: A hierarchical quantitative model approach (Preprint)Preprint
Ali, N., Tajuddin, S., Bramantoro, A., & Alzahrani, A. A. (2025) · doi:10.2196/preprints.85767
An Evidence-Based Multidimensional Scale for Assessing Digital Addictions
Okan, N. (2025) · Journal of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies · doi:10.24193/jebp.2025.2.11
Addictive motivational scaffolds and the structure of social media
Manuali, L. (2025) · Synthese · doi:10.1007/s11229-025-05312-z · Cited by 1
“Still, I think a functionalist account can flesh out “reward” enough for our purposes.”
InfluentialCorrelates of problematic smartphone use among Chinese adolescents during COVID-19
Chao, T., Sit, H. F., Chang, C. I., Yuan, G. F., Chen, C., Shen, J., Montag, C., Elhai, J. D., & Hall, B. J. (2025) · Children and Youth Services Review · doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108654
Self-citationDijital Çağda Çocuk Psikolojisi
Ersoy, A. (2025) · Özgür Yayınları eBooks · doi:10.58830/ozgur.pub915.c3811
Scrolling social media with the third eye: Mindful technology use as a disconnection strategy
Köse, D. B. (2025) · New Media & Society · doi:10.1177/14614448251391358 · Cited by 1
“This variability of content—offering both HCG and UCG—provides irregular rewards that make users scroll endlessly (Eyal, 2014; Montag et al., 2019).”
InfluentialMeuleman, E. M., Koning, I. M., Heemskerk, D. M., Busch, V., & van Stralen, M. M. (2025) · Journal of School Health · doi:10.1111/josh.70097 · Cited by 1
“First of all, SMS, by continuously displaying grades and notifications, can amplify performance pressure and induce smartphone addiction [8, 22].”
Timko, C., & Adena, M. (2025) · European Economic Review · doi:10.1016/j.euroecorev.2025.105230
Harms, A.-K., & Wilpers, S. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-658-48569-6_2 · Cited by 1
Rębisz, S., Grygiel, P., Opozda-Suder, S., & Dolata, R. (2025) · Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1521/jscp.2025.44.5.408
Shah, A., Almourad, M. B., Ali, S., Alam, A., & Rahman, T. U. (2025) · Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies · doi:10.1155/hbe2/4428860
Sötét minták alkalmazása mint a fogyasztókkal szembeni tisztességtelen kereskedelmi gyakorlat
Pusztahelyi, R. (2025) · In Medias Res · doi:10.59851/imr.14.2.4
Karaçiçek, G. (2025) · European Archives of Social Sciences · doi:10.35365/eass.25.3.07
Social Media, Dark Patterns and Contemporary Discourses of Addiction
Lacey, C., Goodwin, I., & Lyons, A. C. (2026) · The politics of mental health and illness · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-06313-7_12
Health challenges and frontier solutions for the post-80s and post-90s generation
Xia, Q., & Zou, K. (2026) · Trends in Food Science & Technology · doi:10.1016/j.tifs.2026.105563
Finkelsztein, S. (2025) · Economics and Culture · doi:10.2478/jec-2025-0018
“Montag et al. (2019) note that app design features, including unlimited scrolling, tailored algorithms, reward systems, and social comparison, contribute to smartphone addiction.”
When Likes Become Pressure Algorithmic Recognition, Youth Distress, and Problematic Smartphone UsePreprint
Kolleck, N., Goldstein, K. L., & Hurrelmann, K. (2026) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.6361061
Is Social Media Use a Blessing or Curse for Motor Function and Skill Acquisition? An Opinion Paper
Fricke, L., Wendeborn, T., & Ragert, P. (2026) · eNeuro · doi:10.1523/eneuro.0382-25.2026
“…the reward system (Meshi et al., 2015), elicits strong (emotional) responses to SM content, and has platform-embedded algorithms such as endless scrolling functions through highly personalized content, users tend to remain engaged for extended periods of time (Montag et al., 2019; Goldon, 2024).”
Mao, Z., Yang, Y., & Jiang, Y. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1739818
“The rapid transitions and high-intensity stimulation of short videos excessively activate the brain’s reward system, reducing interest in traditional oine tasks such as routine learning (Montag et al., 2019).”
Wusylko, C., Ritzhaupt, A. D., Wang, X., Sommer, M., Kohnen, A. M., & Dawson, K. (2026) · Educational Technology Research and Development · doi:10.1007/s11423-026-10608-z
“…on what makes incidental information difficult to evaluate (i.e. Allcott et al., 2019; Aimeur et al., 2023; Cao et al., 2020; Del Vicarrio et al., 2016; Greenspan & Loftus, 2020; Hameleers et al., 2020; Hartwig et al., 2024; Lewandowsky et al., 2017; Montag et al., 2019; Vosoughi et al., 2018).”
Kannen, C., & Montag, C. (2026) · Telematics and Informatics Reports · doi:10.1016/j.teler.2026.100324 · Cited by 1
Self-citationShirodkar, S. (2026) · Integrated Journal for Research in Arts and Humanities · doi:10.55544/ijrah.dyparts.9
Social media companies’ epistemic responsibility for disinformation
Clinkenbeard, C. (2026) · Synthese · doi:10.1007/s11229-026-05542-9
Sailesh, B., & Nayeni, N. (2026) · Advances in computational intelligence and robotics book series · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-5997-7.ch005
Metaverse AI Shopping Experiences
Omar, K., Alkhadour, W., Zraqou, J. S., & Gómez, J. M. (2026) · Advances in computational intelligence and robotics book series · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-7330-0.ch008
Pakeerathan, Y., Shaneer, S. M., Rathnayaka, R., Pireminy, V., Jayasuriya, N., & Vidarshika, W. (2026) · International Research Conference on Smart Computing and Systems Engineering (SCSE) · doi:10.1109/scse70081.2026.11499877
AI as a Habit Architect: A Theoretical Model of Adaptive Reinforcement in Digital Marketing
Brzozowska-Woś, M. (2026) · International Journal of Contemporary Management · doi:10.2478/ijcm-2026-0008
“In practice, digital behavior is fragmented, context-dependent, and influenced by emotional and situational variability (O’Brien & Toms, 2008; Montag et al., 2019).”
Pontes, H. M., Raneri, P. C., & Satel, J. (2023) · OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints)
Chatterjee, D., & Rai, R. (2026) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-9306043/v1 · Cited by 1
Wang, X., Zeng, Y.-M., Liu, X., Yang, W., Liu, Y., Chen, X., Wang, Y., Lou, Y., & Shao, Y. (2026) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-9858358/v1
Kang, M.-F., Pan, Y., Zhu, L., Ding, K.-M., Zhu, J., Zhao, B., Li, G.-H., Zhang, D.-W., Chang, X.-L., Zheng, H., et al. (2026) · Computers in Human Behavior Reports · doi:10.1016/j.chbr.2026.101166
Digital Addictions and Public Health From Theoretical Models to Community-Based Interventions
Olğaç, K. (2026) · IGI Global eBooks · doi:10.4018/979-8-2600-2468-3.ch011
Kara, F. M. (2026) · Research in Sport Education and Sciences · doi:10.62425/rses.1778295
Taresh, S. M., Al-rasheed, A. S., Zaid, S. M., & Aljounid, H. (2026) · The Pertanika Journal of Learning Pedagogy and Educational Leadership · doi:10.47836/pjlpel.2.1.04
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Short video addiction, self-control, and mind-wandering: a two-wave time-lagged mediation study
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“Montag et al. (2019) contended that brief and intense audio - visual content elevates overall cognitive load, depleting the psychological resources necessary for self-regulation and rendering individuals more susceptible to impulsive behaviors.”
Digital Detoxing Among Students: A Systematic Review
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When filming replaces fleeing: the digital freeze syndrome in emergency situations
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“7 The prospect of capturing ‘viral content’ activates dopaminergic reward anticipation in the nucleus accumbens.”
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“Persuasive technologies, habit-forming applications, and engagement-driven platforms operate by shaping motivation, reinforcing behavioural loops, and leveraging attentional dynamics (Fogg, 2009; Montag et al., 2019; Oinas-Kukkonen & Harjumaa, 2009; Wood & Neal, 2007).”
Development and validation of the Digital Detox Need Assessment Scale among young adults
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“Montag and colleagues [31] applied this framework to social media and freemium games as a theoretical integration rather than as an experimental demonstration of platform-level reinforcement.”
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Kruse, F., Nagel, A., & Nabi, R. (2026) · Addictive Behaviours · doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2026.108836
Yadav, A., Malhotra, P., & Sharma, V. P. (2026) · Journal of Consumer Behaviour · doi:10.1002/cb.70229
Maodza, B., & Morar, A. S. (2026) · SA Journal of Industrial Psychology · doi:10.4102/sajip.v52i0.2427
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“These platforms use algorithm-driven, infinite-scroll interfaces that provide intermittent, unpredictable rewards, which are highly effective in capturing attention and promoting compulsive use [1,2].”
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Self-citationImpact of Addiction and Flow Experience on the Intention to Purchase In-Game Virtual Goods
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Metadata
- Authors
- Montag, C., Lachmann, B., Herrlich, M., & Zweig, K.
- Affiliations
- Universität Ulm (DE)
- University of Kaiserslautern (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Montag, Christian
- Venue
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2019-07-23
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 14
- Pages
- 2612
- ISSN
- 1660-4601 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6679162
- OpenAlex
- W2964135621
- Semantic Scholar
- 90a771a9e57999233e6bce76a39b3790d856b095
- Cited by
- 387
- References
- 104
- Citations by year
- 2026: 89 · 2025: 86 · 2024: 38 · 2023: 63 · 2022: 45 · 2021: 39 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 7.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- dx.doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (MO2363/3-2)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Social Sciences › Communication › Digital Media and Philosophy
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Innovative Human-Technology Interaction
- Keywords
- smartphone addiction, social media applications, mere exposure effect, endowment effect, Zeigarnik effect, social comparison, psychological mechanisms, economic theory
- MeSH terms
- Games, Recreational, Smartphone, Humans, Behavior, Addictive, Social Media, Mobile Applications
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-10-10, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).
A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-10 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
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