During one of my travels, sitting next to me was a college youngster who furiously swiped through hundreds of short format videos in a very short time — I am surprised his thumb did not break!
Of course, there is nothing wrong with some entertainment. But there is a problem here.
When, as a creator, you have less than 60 seconds to please a highly distracted being, you have to pack such high-trigger content that it invokes strong pleasurable emotions. And each pleasure spike triggers a corresponding spike in dopamine — our desire chemical.
So if one keeps swiping for a few months, over time, the brain does not wait for the reward — it starts releasing dopamine (the ‘desire chemical’) in anticipation, fueling constant craving. Soon, the poor brain can’t sit still and focus.
But there is more bad news. Gradually, our mind habituates to the pleasure and you need higher doses to get the same high — you now swipe even more furiously, despite not liking it all that much.
Every swipe that entertains our mind, also trains our mind.
So do you have to quit short-format videos? Not necessarily — all it means is that Shorts and Instagram reels are addiction dens. So consume them sparingly, and mindfully.
To use an oxymoron — observe extreme moderation.
– Rajan