It’s hard to believe that a couple of decades ago, nearly everyone smoked cigarettes. Nobody had any hesitations about it because side effects like lung cancer and other horrible damage weren’t yet known. After all, how could people do something so bad for their health? The disturbing thing is that doomscrolling has become the new smoking, except we’re aware of how bad it is for us.
If you walk into any given room these days, chances are you’ll find that 50% of people are glued to their phones… and chances are that they’re on Instagram, TikTok, or Snapchat. These apps are hypnotic, always finding ways to lure you into opening them. They’re disguised as a way to be more social and connected with people, but as opposed to talking with our friends and seeing their latest photos on Instagram, it’s more common to wind up spending an hour watching short-form content and getting cheap laughs out of them. Instagram reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts are all cesspools of low-effort content that whittle down our attention span. Gen Z can barely read books, articles, or watch lengthy videos with full attention, all thanks to absorbing so much short-form content. It deserves its title of “Brain Rot.”
From asking around, I’ve found that people spend an average of 10 hours on Instagram a WEEK! One person had nearly 20! If you keep this up over the course of a year, that would turn into about 780 hours or 32 DAYS of your life per year being spent looking at Reels or Snaps. That’s about $12,000 of minimum wage labor, enough time to drive across the United States four times, and almost enough time to learn a language. Can you say with confidence that the best usage of your precious time in this world is watching videos of seals? While all those things sound like great activities, doomscrolling has one perk over all of them, and this perk is why it’s so dangerous: it’s easy.
It’s too easy to get back to your dorm and crack open Reels for a little bit. All you have to do is watch the video, get your fix of brain stimulation within a minute or less, and another video is just a flick of the thumb away. It’s a brainless activity, which can seem comforting to tired students who feel burnt out. Why use your brain anymore for the day when you can watch Reels about how Japan is generating electricity with footsteps?
Like any addiction, it has to start with realizing you have a problem. Try looking at your screen time and asking yourself if you’re content with how much time you spend on your phone. If not, set goals to cut back. Stopping cold turkey almost never works, but what I’ve found that works for me is setting simple goals. Try only using Instagram after 4 p.m., or only spending 30 minutes a day. The smallest goal can have a big difference, and the most important thing is being aware of how much you scroll. You’d be surprised how many apps you open without even realizing it. It can almost feel uncomfortable, but try keeping your phone further away from you. The best way to stop a bad habit is to make it more difficult to do it. Instead of decompressing with scrolling, try relaxing with more healthy methods: go for a walk, listen to music, or hang out with a friend. Phones are tools meant to make our lives easier, but it’s easy to let them become our entire world. It’s important to stay aware of whether or not you’re living in the real world or on that dang phone.
