by Zoi Mitakidis
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Digital Fatigue: Marketing for Attention Without Burning Users Out
The school app buzzes. I rush to check if there’s breaking news about my son’s class… nope. Just a very urgent reminder that his library books need to come back. (Yes, they did… eventually.)
That’s one ping. Add a few more from news alerts, a couple of messages from family in 4 different time zones, plus friends sending memes I just have to watch (and, of course, reply with a lol emoji 😂)… and this is all before work starts.
And just when I think I’ve earned that little dopamine hit, I get served an ad telling me that buying a collapsible play tent will make me “the fun parent”. (by the way, it won’t fit in the lounge.)
Even my downtime isn’t downtime. Because nothing says “relax” like reruns of Yellowstone. And even though I know exactly how each episode ends, I still have my second screen in hand, Googling what year it was filmed and how on earth they got that horse to act so convincingly, and whether AI could now recreate the whole scene in half the time.
Always on? Absolutely. Always energised? Not so much.
The Psychology Behind Digital Fatigue
Our brains weren’t designed for this kind of juggling. Every ping, pop-up, and “just one more episode” moment piles onto our mental load. Psychologists call it cognitive overload: when our working memory gets stretched past its limit.
The fallout looks a bit like this:
- Decision fatigue: do I reply now, later, or never? Do I watch the next episode or go to bed? (Spoiler: the episode usually wins.)
- Attention collapse: I will just skim the first line of your beautifully written email… then somehow end up watching a 12-minute explainer on why I can’t focus for more than 10 seconds.
- Stress overload: the brain doesn’t know the difference between a real emergency and a flashing banner insisting an on-sale item will change my life.
No wonder digital fatigue feels so real. According to the latest 2025 global report by Backlinko (sourced from DataReportal), adults aged 16 to 64 now spend an average of 6 hours and 38 minutes a day on screens across devices. That is nearly half of our waking hours!
Why It Matters for Marketing, Design and UX
Here’s where my marketing hat comes on. As much as we love engagement, marketers can be guilty of adding fuel to the fatigue fire. Too many pop-ups, aggressive retargeting, or one too many “urgent” subject lines… and users tune us out completely.
People don’t want more. They want better.
4 Principles to Market (and Design) Against Digital Fatigue
- Keep It Simple
Whether it’s a landing page or an ad creative, strip out the clutter. Let the message breathe. Why? People are already overstimulated; they don’t want to decode your message. - Create Breathing Space
White space in design, pacing in campaigns. Not every second of the user journey needs to shout at them. Why? Calm design earns attention more than chaos ever could. - Be Intentional With Notifications
Emails, push alerts, ads. Less but better. Deliver value, not noise. Why? Digital fatigue often starts when brands compete too hard for attention; when they could instead create anticipation. Choose quality of contact over quantity. - Lead with Empathy in Copy & Design
Tone matters. A reassuring “we’ve got you” wins over a desperate “ACT NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!!!” every single time. Why? Because trust drives conversion far more than tension does.
Balancing Engagement With Respect
Good marketing is about earning attention, not hijacking it.
The sweet spot is lightweight delight: content and campaigns that spark joy, offer clarity and feel human. Research backs this up [optimove.com]: a 2025 consumer-marketing fatigue report found that nearly 70% of consumers had unsubscribed from brand communications simply because they were clearly overwhelmed.
The Fuse Perspective
At Fuse Digital, we believe good marketing should energise, not exhaust. Every campaign, message and interaction should feel like an invitation, not an interruption.
That’s why we think deeply about the full digital experience, not just the click. UX isn’t separate from marketing; it’s part of it. From how a headline reads to how a button feels, every detail plays a role in whether someone chooses to engage or scroll past.
Here’s the rhythm to effective marketing: the upfront spark that catches your attention, the once-off impression that builds trust and the ongoing ease that makes you want to come back. It might sound like a contradiction (upfront and ongoing), but that’s the sweet spot.
At the end of the day, marketing is about creating meaningful moments that connect. When those moments are clear, relevant and human, people don’t just click. They care.
Now if you’ll excuse me… my school app is buzzing again. Today’s adventure? Remembering the all-important glue stick.
TL;DR
We’re all guilty of it. Juggling screens, chasing pings and answering one too many notifications before we’ve even finished our morning coffee. Digital fatigue is real, and as marketers, we are often the ones adding fuel to the fire.
This piece explores the psychology behind why our brains can’t keep up, how marketing and UX contribute to the overload, plus what we can do to fix it.
The takeaway? Good marketing doesn’t hijack attention. It earns it.
Digital Fatigue: Marketing for Attention Without Burning Users Out
The school app buzzes. I rush to check if there’s breaking news about my son’s class… nope. Just a very urgent reminder that his library books need to come back. (Yes, they did… eventually.)
That’s one ping. Add a few more from news alerts, a couple of messages from family in 4 different time zones, plus friends sending memes I just have to watch (and, of course, reply with a lol emoji 😂)… and this is all before work starts.
And just when I think I’ve earned that little dopamine hit, I get served an ad telling me that buying a collapsible play tent will make me “the fun parent”. (by the way, it won’t fit in the lounge.)
Even my downtime isn’t downtime. Because nothing says “relax” like reruns of Yellowstone. And even though I know exactly how each episode ends, I still have my second screen in hand, Googling what year it was filmed and how on earth they got that horse to act so convincingly, and whether AI could now recreate the whole scene in half the time.
Always on? Absolutely. Always energised? Not so much.
The Psychology Behind Digital Fatigue
Our brains weren’t designed for this kind of juggling. Every ping, pop-up, and “just one more episode” moment piles onto our mental load. Psychologists call it cognitive overload: when our working memory gets stretched past its limit.
The fallout looks a bit like this:
- Decision fatigue: do I reply now, later, or never? Do I watch the next episode or go to bed? (Spoiler: the episode usually wins.)
- Attention collapse: I will just skim the first line of your beautifully written email… then somehow end up watching a 12-minute explainer on why I can’t focus for more than 10 seconds.
- Stress overload: the brain doesn’t know the difference between a real emergency and a flashing banner insisting an on-sale item will change my life.
No wonder digital fatigue feels so real. According to the latest 2025 global report by Backlinko (sourced from DataReportal), adults aged 16 to 64 now spend an average of 6 hours and 38 minutes a day on screens across devices. That is nearly half of our waking hours!
Why It Matters for Marketing, Design and UX
Here’s where my marketing hat comes on. As much as we love engagement, marketers can be guilty of adding fuel to the fatigue fire. Too many pop-ups, aggressive retargeting, or one too many “urgent” subject lines… and users tune us out completely.
People don’t want more. They want better.
4 Principles to Market (and Design) Against Digital Fatigue
- Keep It Simple
Whether it’s a landing page or an ad creative, strip out the clutter. Let the message breathe. Why? People are already overstimulated; they don’t want to decode your message. - Create Breathing Space
White space in design, pacing in campaigns. Not every second of the user journey needs to shout at them. Why? Calm design earns attention more than chaos ever could. - Be Intentional With Notifications
Emails, push alerts, ads. Less but better. Deliver value, not noise. Why? Digital fatigue often starts when brands compete too hard for attention; when they could instead create anticipation. Choose quality of contact over quantity. - Lead with Empathy in Copy & Design
Tone matters. A reassuring “we’ve got you” wins over a desperate “ACT NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!!!” every single time. Why? Because trust drives conversion far more than tension does.
Balancing Engagement With Respect
Good marketing is about earning attention, not hijacking it.
The sweet spot is lightweight delight: content and campaigns that spark joy, offer clarity and feel human. Research backs this up [optimove.com]: a 2025 consumer-marketing fatigue report found that nearly 70% of consumers had unsubscribed from brand communications simply because they were clearly overwhelmed.
The Fuse Perspective
At Fuse Digital, we believe good marketing should energise, not exhaust. Every campaign, message and interaction should feel like an invitation, not an interruption.
That’s why we think deeply about the full digital experience, not just the click. UX isn’t separate from marketing; it’s part of it. From how a headline reads to how a button feels, every detail plays a role in whether someone chooses to engage or scroll past.
Here’s the rhythm to effective marketing: the upfront spark that catches your attention, the once-off impression that builds trust and the ongoing ease that makes you want to come back. It might sound like a contradiction (upfront and ongoing), but that’s the sweet spot.
At the end of the day, marketing is about creating meaningful moments that connect. When those moments are clear, relevant and human, people don’t just click. They care.
Now if you’ll excuse me… my school app is buzzing again. Today’s adventure? Remembering the all-important glue stick.
TL;DR
We’re all guilty of it. Juggling screens, chasing pings and answering one too many notifications before we’ve even finished our morning coffee. Digital fatigue is real, and as marketers, we are often the ones adding fuel to the fire.
This piece explores the psychology behind why our brains can’t keep up, how marketing and UX contribute to the overload, plus what we can do to fix it.
The takeaway? Good marketing doesn’t hijack attention. It earns it.
Digital Fatigue: Marketing for Attention Without Burning Users Out
The school app buzzes. I rush to check if there’s breaking news about my son’s class… nope. Just a very urgent reminder that his library books need to come back. (Yes, they did… eventually.)
That’s one ping. Add a few more from news alerts, a couple of messages from family in 4 different time zones, plus friends sending memes I just have to watch (and, of course, reply with a lol emoji 😂)… and this is all before work starts.
And just when I think I’ve earned that little dopamine hit, I get served an ad telling me that buying a collapsible play tent will make me “the fun parent”. (by the way, it won’t fit in the lounge.)
Even my downtime isn’t downtime. Because nothing says “relax” like reruns of Yellowstone. And even though I know exactly how each episode ends, I still have my second screen in hand, Googling what year it was filmed and how on earth they got that horse to act so convincingly, and whether AI could now recreate the whole scene in half the time.
Always on? Absolutely. Always energised? Not so much.
The Psychology Behind Digital Fatigue
Our brains weren’t designed for this kind of juggling. Every ping, pop-up, and “just one more episode” moment piles onto our mental load. Psychologists call it cognitive overload: when our working memory gets stretched past its limit.
The fallout looks a bit like this:
- Decision fatigue: do I reply now, later, or never? Do I watch the next episode or go to bed? (Spoiler: the episode usually wins.)
- Attention collapse: I will just skim the first line of your beautifully written email… then somehow end up watching a 12-minute explainer on why I can’t focus for more than 10 seconds.
- Stress overload: the brain doesn’t know the difference between a real emergency and a flashing banner insisting an on-sale item will change my life.
No wonder digital fatigue feels so real. According to the latest 2025 global report by Backlinko (sourced from DataReportal), adults aged 16 to 64 now spend an average of 6 hours and 38 minutes a day on screens across devices. That is nearly half of our waking hours!
Why It Matters for Marketing, Design and UX
Here’s where my marketing hat comes on. As much as we love engagement, marketers can be guilty of adding fuel to the fatigue fire. Too many pop-ups, aggressive retargeting, or one too many “urgent” subject lines… and users tune us out completely.
People don’t want more. They want better.
4 Principles to Market (and Design) Against Digital Fatigue
- Keep It Simple
Whether it’s a landing page or an ad creative, strip out the clutter. Let the message breathe. Why? People are already overstimulated; they don’t want to decode your message. - Create Breathing Space
White space in design, pacing in campaigns. Not every second of the user journey needs to shout at them. Why? Calm design earns attention more than chaos ever could. - Be Intentional With Notifications
Emails, push alerts, ads. Less but better. Deliver value, not noise. Why? Digital fatigue often starts when brands compete too hard for attention; when they could instead create anticipation. Choose quality of contact over quantity. - Lead with Empathy in Copy & Design
Tone matters. A reassuring “we’ve got you” wins over a desperate “ACT NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!!!” every single time. Why? Because trust drives conversion far more than tension does.
Balancing Engagement With Respect
Good marketing is about earning attention, not hijacking it.
The sweet spot is lightweight delight: content and campaigns that spark joy, offer clarity and feel human. Research backs this up [optimove.com]: a 2025 consumer-marketing fatigue report found that nearly 70% of consumers had unsubscribed from brand communications simply because they were clearly overwhelmed.
The Fuse Perspective
At Fuse Digital, we believe good marketing should energise, not exhaust. Every campaign, message and interaction should feel like an invitation, not an interruption.
That’s why we think deeply about the full digital experience, not just the click. UX isn’t separate from marketing; it’s part of it. From how a headline reads to how a button feels, every detail plays a role in whether someone chooses to engage or scroll past.
Here’s the rhythm to effective marketing: the upfront spark that catches your attention, the once-off impression that builds trust and the ongoing ease that makes you want to come back. It might sound like a contradiction (upfront and ongoing), but that’s the sweet spot.
At the end of the day, marketing is about creating meaningful moments that connect. When those moments are clear, relevant and human, people don’t just click. They care.
Now if you’ll excuse me… my school app is buzzing again. Today’s adventure? Remembering the all-important glue stick.
TL;DR
We’re all guilty of it. Juggling screens, chasing pings and answering one too many notifications before we’ve even finished our morning coffee. Digital fatigue is real, and as marketers, we are often the ones adding fuel to the fire.
This piece explores the psychology behind why our brains can’t keep up, how marketing and UX contribute to the overload, plus what we can do to fix it.
The takeaway? Good marketing doesn’t hijack attention. It earns it.
About the Author: Zoi Mitakidis
