I'm absolutely convinced that social media is shortening our attention spans, and I do not think that's a good thing.
At one point I realized that I hadn't thought deeply or creatively about anything in a long time, and it was because I was constantly consuming the mental equivalent of junk food snacks. Endlessly scrolling feeds, banal and unchallenging content that demands nothing more from us than a tap/click/swipe... that little red notification icon is a psychological experiment; a Pavlovian intermittent reward. And it was specifically designed to be so.
I firmly believe the human mind needs periods of boredom, and space free from distraction. Without that space, the mind has no room for contemplation or creativity.
I went on a major social media purge two months ago today. I feel a lot smarter - like, able to work my brain better. I'm seeing it in my political thought. I used to debate politics incessantly online, with the usual partisan boundaries. By withdrawing from that battlefield, I'm seeing the battle differently.
Not to mention my book-reading rate has increased by around 200%. Was I really wasting four books a month of time on Facebook and Twitter? Apparently.
At one point I realized that I hadn't thought deeply or creatively about anything in a long time, and it was because I was constantly consuming the mental equivalent of junk food snacks. Endlessly scrolling feeds, banal and unchallenging content that demands nothing more from us than a tap/click/swipe... that little red notification icon is a psychological experiment; a Pavlovian intermittent reward. And it was specifically designed to be so.
I firmly believe the human mind needs periods of boredom, and space free from distraction. Without that space, the mind has no room for contemplation or creativity.