Have you ever glanced at your phone to check the weather and inadvertently ended up scrolling on social media? Have you ever started studying or working and unknowingly ended up watching TikToks? If your answer to either of these questions is yes, then you are not alone. Amongst many, you could also be a victim of a Social Media addiction, more commonly known in Gen Alpha slang as ‘Brain Rot’. As scary as it may seem, it can be treated with slight changes in our approach to using Social Media apps. Hence, join me in discussing the causes of social media addiction and how to overcome it with steady efforts.
Brain rot being the Oxford word of the year for 2024 has become synonymous amongst masses all around the world. While it refers to the deterioration of human intellect and mental capacity due to consuming low-quality and unchallenging online content, its wider implications are much larger. According to a study by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission approximately 34.5% of people aged 16-30 use social networking sites and instant messaging tools for more than two hours per day. This usage however can be split into useful time spent on the app (e.g. reading news, consumption of informational content) and passive mindless scrolling. The latter is where the bigger problem lies. According to a survey by Medium, 85% of respondents acknowledge having issues with mindless scrolling, which further emphasizes the gravity of the problem. The concerning aspect in all of this is the fact that many of us are aware of the issue and yet are unable to find a solution to it, but humans may not be the only ones to blame after all.
One of the key contributors to brain rot has been the never-ending and infinite scrolling interfaces of popular social media apps which allow users to keep discovering new content without a time limit. This coupled with the advent of short form content created using software powered by artificial intelligence has furthered the usage of social media apps significantly. These software applications have enabled the creation of fictional content at the speed of light, exposing a world of seemingly unending brain rot to the masses. The sheer absurdity of brain rot content which usually appears in short videos of around five to ten seconds, has captured audiences’ attention. This short length of brain rot induces a feeling of ‘one video not being enough’ and encourages users to keep scrolling. Be it ‘Skibidi Toilet’ or ‘Tralalero Tralala’, these fictional characters and the storylines surrounding them have conquered the human mind and convinced it to dive deeper due to their unrealistic and silly nature. Other short-form and fast-paced content not only limited to fictional characters, has also succeeded in providing instant gratification and hence resulted in purposeless and mindless scrolling. As the web of brain rot rapidly forms around us it is important to differentiate between the real and the fake and break free from it as soon as possible.
What can we do as individuals to go from the brain-rotten instant gratification to bliss, which is real happiness is a question we must ask ourselves. Well, the answer even though not straightforward lies in taking small steps towards a bigger goal of replacing mindless scrolling with something beneficial to one. For instance, picking up a new hobby be it something that you have never done before can help to divert attention towards something productive instead of mindlessly scrolling. Another way to induce bliss is by regularly exercising which would help in reducing the feeling of wanting instant gratification by providing spells of constant mental and physical satisfaction. This also helps one relax and take frequent breaks from our fast-paced lives, eliminating the need to always be doing something or consuming online content. Apart from these indirect measures, direct efforts such as applying screen time restraints on apps and limiting their usage through features like focus mode on phones can help avoid the urge to constantly consume content of extremely low intrinsic value.
By taking conscious steps towards limiting screen time, one can reap the benefits of better focus and a larger attention span. Moreover, one can discover the benefits of sustained bliss and realize how it is more valuable than instant gratification. Lastly, as difficult as it may seem, controlling our consumption of online media rests in our hands. Hence to maximize productivity and reap long-term rewards of the effort put in today, let us all replace brain rot with the bliss of doing something beneficial to oneself.