My attention span is horrible. I can no longer watch a TV show or movie without feeling the urge to get on my phone ten minutes into it. I am used to TikTok, Instagram, and basically every other social media app, where everything is closer to ten seconds long.
This barrier has gotten even more noticeable since I deleted TikTok. I find myself wanting to watch a new show, but soon find myself disinterested as quickly as I find it exciting. It’s kind of exhausting. I know I am at fault for getting addicted to these apps, but I also know that I’m not alone because social media is nearly impossible to avoid after being so immersed in it.
As more and more people have made this realization about their unhealthy habits, this stereotype of Gen Z has come to a front, with various comments coming along with it.
At one point or another, our parents or grandparents have said, “These kids don’t know what boredom is. They never have to be with all these new apps to run to.”
I understand why people make this comment, but I also hate that they assume I am oblivious to it when in reality, it is quite the opposite.
I even remember going to a movie with my father and afterward, he said, “I am so proud of you for not checking your phone.” He assumes it is a problem, but what he doesn’t know is that it is a problem that I too know exists, and am frustrated as to why it exists in the first place and feel overwhelmed thinking about how to solve it.
What’s the background behind it all? How can I fix a problem like this? Is it even possible?
The science behind it all.
“According to USC professor Dr. Julie Albright, it could be addiction. The rapid scrolling of videos shares the same fundamental principles that make gambling on slot machines addictive, which is referred to as “random reinforcement” (Journal of Law and Technology).
While scrolling on social media, our brains know that eventually, we will find something funny or interesting. But, since we don’t know when this entertainment will come, we scroll for hours trying to find the next random video. Many pediatricians have even gone as far as calling apps such as TikTok a “dopamine machine” because of this.
This idea connects our experience even closer to an addiction. We get an instant dose of our happy hormone every time we see a video that we relate to. The “For You Page” or “FYP” is an algorithm. It keeps track of every like, favorite, or follow, using that information to give us endless hours of our preferred content.
Although this may seem great, it’s the exact thing that drives the addiction and causes the many consequences that come along with such prolonged use.
“From trouble achieving long-term goals to being unable to focus in school, these problems can be widespread and far-reaching” (Journal of Law and Technology).
“Psychologist Jean Twenge — is pointing us toward the conclusion that the rising rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide in teenagers are correlated with the amount of time they spend with their devices” (Center for the Study of Technology and Society).
Because of this, taking steps to fix the problem becomes even more important.
The hopeful solution.
It seems that the best way to restore this problem with attention span is to simply get away.
Rather than deleting the app and forcing yourself to be constantly productive as a filler, the more useful solution is to simply do nothing.
- Go on walks
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Get more sleep
- Exercise
Doing something just as mindless as scrolling on social media allows our body to replenish itself, but the above options are without the negative side effects, leaving our energy to be used more productively later on.
Just as Lynn Sabieddine said, “We cannot allow these apps to take away from our lives. We deserve better. Humans deserve better” (The Michigan Daily).
