Doom scrolling, brainrot, digital fatigue–all are consequences of an overuse of phones and social media that I would liken to an addiction.
If you haven’t heard the term, brainrot is mostly accepted to reference a “cognitive decline” and “fogginess” that excessive screen time causes, according to Newport Institute, a nationwide center that treats mental health.
Lately, I’ve found myself having to actively seek out ways to occupy myself that don’t include endless scrolling or like buttons. It’s a habit that, for me and probably others, requires discipline to break.
Sometimes, when things get dull, my instinct is to reach for my phone. Sometimes, when I open my phone to do something important, I open Instagram on autopilot.
I like to post because it feels like a digital scrapbook, but the problem begins when I navigate to the reels and the “For You Page.” My eyes get tired and yet it’s harder to sleep.
Multiple studies link “extensive screen time” to symptoms of attention disorders, according to the National Library of Medicine. When people constantly use technology, they rob their brain of opportunities to exercise and operate offline.
The study also explores the idea that extensive technology use affects emotional and social intelligence, as people spend “less time communicating face to face.”
On the road, I’ll glance at the next car over to see a driver on his phone. At restaurants, I’ll see whole families, even small children, silently sucked into their own respective digital worlds.
I wouldn’t cut social media, TV or video games from my mental diet completely, but I’m always aiming for compromise.
I’ll play a video game with my roommates that involves problem-solving and puzzles. We’ll watch a movie that makes us think. One of us will find interesting topics on Reddit to banter about.
The best nights are the ones where we just talk about our days in the living room, play chess or practice the guitar. However I end up spending my evenings, my goal is to avoid scrolling alone in the dark.
Many account holders online seem to share this sentiment that social media is how they will make money and friends and find information–I find a total reliance on just a few platforms to be problematic.
Technology should be a road sign, not the road. It is a tool to build with, not the building itself.
