Mental Floss

Most People Struggle With Digital Clutter, With 1000 Unread Emails on Average

Don’t beat yourself up about not reaching inbox zero.
ByCaLea Johnson|
So many notifications, so little time.
So many notifications, so little time. | MirageC/GettyImages

It’s spring, which means flowers are blossoming, birds are singing, and people are finally tackling the cleaning projects they’ve been putting off all year. Spring cleaning is a great way to reset your mind, but your house isn’t the only part of your life that needs sprucing. If you’re like the majority of Americans, the junk cluttering up your digital world is out of control.

The personal information protection site All About Cookies recently surveyed 1000 U.S. adults to determine how much digital clutter they have and how it impacts their lives. They asked about the number of unread notifications on respondents’ devices, the amount of unused apps, and how disorganization negatively affects them.

The responses should hopefully make you feel better about your own home screen. The average number of unread emails is 1044, and only 32 percent of participants reported having zero. While not nearly as high, social media apps rack up the second-highest number of unread notifications—17 on average. The average number of open browser tabs trails closely behind at 15, while unread text messages fall around 12. 

The frequency of incoming notifications may explain why so many go unread. Respondents reported getting 17 texts, 18 social media alerts, and 18 push notifications a day on average. People may get overwhelmed by the backlog and ignore it, or maybe some simply can’t keep up with the load.

Per the survey, 77 percent of participants said the clutter affects them—and their devices—in unfavorable ways. Thirty-nine percent of people shared that clutter affects their gadgets, and 27 percent complained about slower internet speeds. The disorganization also seems to negatively impact mental health, with 28 percent of people saying that it adds stress and 22 percent sharing that it causes anxiety.

Fortunately, spring cleaning your phone and computer is just as easy as tidying your home. The Happy Space Company recommends starting with assessing your apps: You can organize them by deleting the ones you haven’t used in a while and dividing them into groups according to type. Photo overload is also a common problem with digital clutter. Consider using cloud storage if you don’t already, which will free up space on your devices. All About Cookies also suggests unsubscribing from promotional emails to reduce the number of unreads in your inbox.

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