A new psychological study has shown that people might become bored and less satisfied after scrolling through short digital media clips, like YouTube Shorts and TikTok videos.
The scientific study involved participants watching short videos in succession or fast-forwarding through content, as well as watching one video for an extended period of 10 minutes. Those participating in the study reported feeling more satisfied, immersed, and less bored when watching longer content.
The study, called “Fast-Forward to Boredom: How Switching Behavior on Digital Media Makes People More Bored,” conducts seven variations of these experiments with over 1,000 participants and was run by the University of Toronto Scarborough’s Department of Psychology.
“In this digital age, where watching videos is a major source of entertainment, our research indicates that enjoyment likely comes from immersing oneself in the videos rather than swiping through them,” the studysaid in its conclusion.
The study’s lead author, Katy Y. Y. Tam, said in anAmerican Psychological Association news releasethat “digital switching,” or when people scroll or skip forward in videos to stem the tide of boredom, makes it hard to understand or truly engage with content.
“If people want a more enjoyable experience when watching videos, they can try to stay focused on the content and minimize digital switching,” Tam said.
“Just like paying for a more immersive experience in a movie theater, more enjoyment comes from immersing oneself in online videos rather than swiping through them.”
The study does not dive deep into the relationship betweenshort attention spansand the act of digital switching, another hot-button issue around social media and short-form video content, and instead focuses more on therise of boredom in younger generations.
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Longform content is still consumed at a high rate on social media, with hours-long YouTube videos reaching millions of views. However, short-form vertical video has seen a big push in the social media space, with YouTube andTwitch following in TikTok’s footsteps.
Declan McLaughlin was a Gaming & Esports Writer on Dexerto’s US team, specializing in Valorant and League of Legends. He has bylines at Upcomer and Inven Global.
