its true. even things like RCS messaging starts introducing these dopamine like loops like read receipts, typing indicators, emoji reactions, gifs etc. and SMS less so but yes, that notification bell when you get a message especially if you’ve been a long term smart phone user probably instinctively makes you reach for the phone immediately for that information reward.
as you say sometimes theres only so much that you can do, i think its different for everyone. one thing i think maybe most peolpe here might all agree on is that being more aware of how our apps are designed, how the defaults might not be in our best interests can in its self be very beneficial. simply knowing that you dont need to immediately reach for your phone, knowing the defaults are bad and perhaps turning off certain notification types can in its self with simple changes and awareness start to rewire our brains away from what we’re so used to sine the invention of the smart phone and social media
Good points. Read receipts and reactions sound very “fun” and benign on the surface, but are very insidious if you think about the intentions behind them. I think social validation and the fear of abandonment are even more addicting than heroin.
you can see both the good intention and bad side effect of them. reactions perhaps less so, as these (maybe a little less important for sms/whatsapp messages) are dopamine triggers as well, they tell the recipient if they are accepted or rejected by their social circle. if they post something and dont get any reactions, they perceive they are being rejected by their social circle, contrary a post which gets many reactions gives them repeated dopamine hits from each increasing reaction, feeding back the loop to post more (look at things like snapchat ‘streaks’ as well for another example).
the point more so is about realising these things are there even in some of the most benign apps we have. (look at this forum, the like button is the exact same thing). but being aware of them, maybe thinking more about them, maybe imo this might help us and our health to have a better relationship with technology then we might otherwise have.
on a side note another example less applicable to the kompakt, i have a extension for youtube which removes huge chunks of these types of design. likes dislikes, recommended videos, video title cards in searches, comments, notifications… colours. disabled for this exact reason, that that we need to just not use some of these things, but that we might need to modify our behavior around them, and realise they’re designed in mant ways to work against our interest
I am a bit more radical with my ideas on that topic. I’ve been in chatrooms without reactions (such as likes) and then with reactions. The chats went fine and without issues without likes. By the way, the person who created the “like” button regrets it. Anyway, I know it may have started with innocent intentions (debatable, though, since it was for a company to profit) but I really think they now only silence dissenting thoughts and serve to popularize the trendy ideas. I honestly wish we would all leave the like buttons behind and just voice our thoughts. Not everything needs to be “like or dislike”. We need to use our words. I think of it as little ego pats on the back, and i really only use them now because thats how others wish to communicate with me.
Reddit is a good example of how this manifests in the end. Popularity isn’t dictated by value- it’s valued by upvotes. They think just because something is popular that it is good. Companies take advantage of this and play us like a fiddle.
i was thinking more read receipts etc. but yes, much of it is specifically intentional in its addictive design. like buttons are an example of that at least in their initial creation (some may implement it without thinking about it because they themselves live within a normalised addictive society
one example i read is the notification button, which was (i think on facebook or something similar) blue or a similar colour and received little engagement, they changed it to red to elicit a deliberate alarm / rush response more subconsciously within the users brain and doing so saw a dramatic change in user engagement and retention.
people have jobs in these companies whos sole purpose is to design and improve these addictive dopamine loops and these things intentional or not seep into most other apps and platforms once they becomes normalised (as i mentioned becoming normative addiction)
Dude, you know you can turn off Read Receipts for both Signal & Whatsapp, and probably for every messaging app out there. So why do you keep mentioning them?
The youtube example on the other hand is good, I also use Enhancer for Youtube to stop all shorts and YT video recommendations. I only watch videos from my subscription list or things I want to search for.
I’d give you a heart button for this post.
I totally agree with this yet I hit the heart button on this post lol, it is so programmed into us its SICKENING
because it appears you keep missing the point, i know you can turn those things off in many applications, ive said as much in my posts in this thread.
knowing the defaults are bad and perhaps turning off certain notification types
we’re talking about the physiological dependency that can be built up on these things, often without us even realising, often (as we’ve discovered in one example in this thread) affecting apps that we sometimes dont even realise are also designed to give those feedback loops.
no one is saying you cant use these apps, no one is saying the apps cant be modified (forcefully or otherwise) to better serve you
you see this for example both android and ios have a screen time function aimed to help you manage a healthy interaction with your phone, but despite this existing most people still have huge struggles with these devices as shown in this thread Are we addicted to distraction? Or are we just desperate for silence?
the fact that the options exist, doesnt mean much if by default you’re setup to fail. look at @anon7028788 hitting that heart button for that little rush of dopamine 
we’re so used to it its largely subconscious at this point
So true lol, we were all lab rats for big tech, and they still have control over us its amazing, maybe we need to start a petition for Mudita to remove the heart button lol
How am I missing the point when you’re the one overreacting for basic app features?
WhatsApp has saved billions to people in developing countries because they can communicate with their friends and family for free, they can be in touch with their kids teacher’s, their study group.
Again, I understand your point and agree that they’re designed to keep you engaged. But specifically apps like Whatsapp have so much more benefits than cons.
I don’t have to wonder if my SMS was “delivered” because I can clearly see an indicator. I remember when I used to get a fallback saying “SMS failed” hours after I sent it, that’s not an issue anymore.
People do business on Whatsapp, in developing countries in smaller towns u order your food through a Whatsapp message, or order a Taxi and this way the middle men like Uber or Deliveroo can’t get fees from the business or the customer.
I understand if you made your argument about other social media apps but you are just going in circles about non-sms Messaging services and it’s annoying. These apps are not the enemy.
It’s better to be depended on Whatsapp than having to have one App to text, another app for calls, another app for video calls, then an app for class communication.
I have been using the phone as is for a week with a second smartphone in my bag for emergencies. I have had actual use of the second phone way less than expected since my friends and family now uses SMS and calls to reach me.
again as ive said to you a few times now, ive never suggested otherwise and thats not the point. its clear were talking over each other on this topic so ill leave it there with you as i dont want to argue
I agree with you to a point, sometimes its the lesser of two evils, I hate whatsapp left it years ago because its owned by facebook and they steal and sell your data, BUT for some people they have no choice it is literally the only way they can communicate, but I am glad that I can still text people, that is freedom that I have that not many others have, but I will never be on whatsapp ever again, left it in 2021 and good riddance
I like to apologize for the behavior of my passion.
no worries. same from me, i hope i didnt cause issues 
some of it i think just comes down to finding and implementing those personal barriers. if you know say whatsapp has some bad defaults or you feel overly tied to it, you might actively work to mute most of your conversations except maybe loved ones etc.
i moved whatsapp to my computer, and so only check it there. but as in the example given sometimes its the primary means of communication for people for calls and other things. but even in that case its worth working through the settings to disable / change settings which might cause or encourage behavior you dont want and isnt good for you.