The Sisyphus Effect & Engagement Fatigue

“Each time he neared the summit, the boulder would slip from his grasp and roll back down. And so the cycle began anew.”

— Retelling of the myth of Sisyphus and the Boulder

In my work as a design researcher, one of the most important aspects of my work is ensuring that the widest range of voices are heard. The amazing thing about these voices is that they are often ready and willing to speak up. Yet, when we continually call on certain populations—whether defined by demographics like sexual identity, race, gender, or burden—to be the golden voice for their community, we risk turning their contribution into an endless cycle of unproductive change.

Like Sisyphus, endlessly pushing a boulder uphill, these individuals are often asked to carry the weight of representation again and again, shouldering emotional and cultural labor that rarely gets recognized for what it is: exhausting, complex, and deeply human.

This cycle has a name: engagement fatigue.

"Engagement fatigue is characterized by a decline in motivation and enthusiasm for participating in activities, often due to overexposure, repetitive tasks, or a lack of perceived value." 1

People are resilient and happy to be a part of an engagement when they feel like their contribution genuinely will create impact. I have found that people will push through even the hardest engagements if they see the top of their hill. It's that lack of "perceived value" that tends to take the energy and enthusiasm away.

One example involves marginalized Indigenous communities approached repeatedly by academic researchers asking similar questions. People from the Nipissing First Nation in Ontario faced constant interview requests about local programs—often with no community benefit in return. The result? Interviewees became increasingly reluctant to participate or dropped out mid‑way, effectively halting further research collaboration and advocacy momentum. This not only diminished the value of their lived experience but also created resistance to future efforts toward social change or policy impact. 2

There’s also a darker side to this. Some people—who want to advocate for their experiences—can't due to systemic barriers that keep them grounded. For example, people with lower income are restricted by the type of compensation they are able to accept because it could potentially disqualify them from government programs they rely on to live. With this, you can find ways to provide alternate compensation, such as through gift cards, but sometimes people don't view the risk worth it.

I don’t have a solution... you can’t simply incentivize new people to advocate. What you can do is be honest about the weight you're asking people to carry. You can diversify your outreach, work with new advocacy groups, try different recruitment methods; understand that, even then, you may end up with the same brave voices stepping forward.

If that happens, the real question isn’t how to find new voices—it’s how to stop taking the old ones for granted. Because at the end of the day, it’s not enough to just hear voices—we have to honor the labor behind them.

Thank you,

Caleigh

Disclaimer:

I use Grammarly for grammatical and spelling corrections.

References:

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666557323000174#:~:text=A%20social%20constructionist%20approach%20was%20used%20to,it%20is%20perceived%20by%20students%20and%20educators.&text=A%20reduction%20in%20online%20students'%20enthusiasm%20and,lead%20to%20strong%20feelings%20of%20being%20overwhelmed.

2. https://www.wired.com/story/for-marginalized-groups-being-studied-can-be-a-burden/