Social media, for many, has been a bridge for countless opportunities – whether it be instantaneous messaging, employment, or just a small escape from the weight of daily responsibilities. However, it’s no secret that there have been a multitude of downsides to social media, of which some believe outweigh the benefits.
Attributed to the rise of short-form dopamine inducing content, an ever apparent downside to social media is the diminishment of attention spans. Researchers found that “frequent exposure to rapid, fragmented content on platforms like TikTok and Snapchat overstimulates cognitive processes,” which as a result, lead to “decreased working memory capacity, impaired cognitive control, and challenges in maintaining focus.”
Why does this happen? Our brains contain chemical messengers that essentially control how we feel and what we do in a particular moment in response to some sort of stimulus. In this case, the stimulus is social media like Tiktok, Instagram, and Youtube. All of these platforms have it in their best interest to gain and retain users, as this is how they are able to make profit. As a result, they have found that shorter, calculated content fed to the user through an algorithm is the most successful way to keep users engaged and utilize their services for longer. This method is so lucrative because it abuses our dopamine “reward” system.
Our brains, in order to promote “good behavior” (which is originally intended to help us survive), reward us with dopamine whenever we do something “beneficial” for ourselves. Just as one would give a dog a treat for performing a trick, our brains do the same thing for us. By consuming short-form content, we are given short bursts of dopamine by our brains.
This dopamine loop results in the degradation of one’s attention span. According to Dr. Gloria Mark, “We find in our research a correlation between frequency of attention switching and stress.” She goes on to explain that when one shifts their attention too frequently, their performance in their task decreases, which can be attributed to the time needed for one to reorient themselves in their task every time they lose attention. For instance, if you’re writing an essay and your mind begins to drift, once you eventually come back to the task at hand – writing an essay – you have already lost your train of thought and must recuperate in order to continue writing. This leaves you with more wasted time and less motivation to even continue the task in the first place.
However, in moderation, social media does little harm to our attention spans. But remember, social media platforms are not designed to reinforce moderation. Instead, it is up to you to control your social media consumption and repair (or retain!) your attention span. Mark suggests timing your tasks to become more aware of attention drifts and taking meaningful breaks. For example, set a timer to work for 25 minutes and then another for a five minute break. Another technique that may work is built-in time limits for social media apps, which can be done either through the platforms themselves or through phone settings.
Your attention span is extremely important when it comes to completing tasks and succeeding in them; however, it is also important to stay vigilant about your social media intake and remedy your attention span while you still can.
