Editor’s Note: This article is part of a two-part series on the mental health impact of short-form content. Part 1 explores the experience and psychology behind addictive scrolling. Part 2 offers data, insight, and actionable steps for building healthier habits.

Introduction

I get it. Short-form content is addictive. Throughout our lives, many of us have found ourselves doomscrolling on social media, yearning for another video and a hit of dopamine. Eventually, “one more video” will turn into 10, and then 100, and then 2 hours later, you wake up from reality and realize that you’ve spent such an immense amount of time meaninglessly scrolling online. With that being said, while short-form content may provide a source of convenience and entertainment for the user, the addictive nature of the matter can hijack attention and ruin mindfulness. In this article, I will explain exactly what short-form content scrolling does to the brain and how to combat that.

The Allure of Short-Form Content

In life, we’re drawn to things that interest us. Whether it’s a sports game or a television show, there’s something in these forms of content that grabs our attention. Likewise, social media and short-form content do the same as they offer quick dopamine hits and easy-to-access convenience. First, the videos that appear on your "For You" page don’t come as a coincidence. Every like, comment, and share helps to form an algorithm that is geared towards your interests. While this has its benefits as a result of receiving content that reflects your ideals and interests, it comes with the cost of addiction as you will be constantly geared to your phone and consuming content. When you scroll, each new video causes a release in dopamine due to a response to an anticipated trigger (ie, personalized content). This is happening in the mesolimbic pathway of the brain, where dopamine is made in the ventral tegmental area before reaching the nucleus accumbens and then the prefrontal cortex. Once released, the hormone dopamine makes you want to want things. In the case of short-form content, it makes you want to watch that next video or even more. It works as a “pleasure hormone,” rewarding the user for watching another video. This, in turn, creates a feedback loop in the brain where a particular behavior renders a reward. This all leads to the negative addictive effect we possess towards social media. Secondly, short-form content is addictive as it is extremely convenient. Instead of watching longer YouTube videos or movies, short-form content offers a sense of convenience as it is easily accessible everywhere and anytime. This allows users to get easily addicted and negatively impact their lifestyle

Strategies for Staying Mindful

Now, while the majority of short-form content is harmful and destructive, there are methods of media consumption that render positive benefits. For instance, putting regulations and time restrictions on social media intake will allow for a mindful consumption of short-form content. An example of this would be adding a time limit on social media via the screen time setting in settings. This will allow for social media to be consumed mindfully. In addition, another tactic you can use is gearing your “For You” page to represent mindful videos. As stated previously, you can gear your page to reflect interests. Therefore, if you like, comment, and share videos that reflect a mindful topic like meditation or yoga, you will have a “For You” page geared to mindful interests.

Conclusion

In all, while social media consumption renders negative effects on the body due to the production of improper dopamine and addiction, it can still have some positive benefits if it is consumed mindfully and properly. In life, we must remember to maintain a healthy balance between things. It’s not always possible to fully block out social media and short-form content, but our policies regarding it can be altered to reflect a more mindful lifestyle.