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Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories

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  • Christian Montag

    (Department of Molecular Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany)

  • Bernd Lachmann

    (Department of Molecular Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany)

  • Marc Herrlich

    (Serious Games Engineering, TU Kaiserslautern, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany)

  • Katharina Zweig

    (Algorithm Accountability Lab, TU Kaiserslautern, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany)

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Christian Montag & Bernd Lachmann & Marc Herrlich & Katharina Zweig, 2019. "Addictive Features of Social Media/Messenger Platforms and Freemium Games against the Background of Psychological and Economic Theories," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-16, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:14:p:2612-:d:250686
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Minglu Wang & Jong-Yoon Lee & Shanshan Liu & Lingling Hu, 2023. "The Role of Emotional Responses in the VR Exhibition Continued Usage Intention: A Moderated Mediation Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-14, March.
    5. Britta Wetzel & Rüdiger Pryss & Harald Baumeister & Johanna-Sophie Edler & Ana Sofia Oliveira Gonçalves & Caroline Cohrdes, 2021. "“How Come You Don’t Call Me?” Smartphone Communication App Usage as an Indicator of Loneliness and Social Well-Being across the Adult Lifespan during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-18, June.
    6. Kuchinke, Björn A. & Rösch, Jürgen, 2022. "Die Rolle des öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunks im Zeitalter von TikTok: Ökonomische Anmerkungen," Ilmenau Economics Discussion Papers 167, Ilmenau University of Technology, Institute of Economics.

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