The Vortex: Why Users Feel Trapped in Their Devices
Summary: Many users report anxiety and lack of control over the amount of time they spend online. We call this feeling “the Vortex.”
“The Vortex is a user-behavior pattern that begins with a single intentional interaction followed by a series of unplanned interactions. This unplanned chain of interactions creates a sense of being “pulled” deeper into the digital space, making the user feel out of control.” (by Kate Moran and Kim Flaherty)
The phenomenon we describe here has a significant relationship to the concept commonly referred to as “digital addiction.”
The whole site where this came from is interesting for further study: The Nielsen Norman Group - World Leaders in Research-Based User Experience, see for instance their category on Persuasive Design.