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A trending topic recently has been terms used by Gen Zs and Gen Alphas. One such term is ‘brain rot’, which is used to describe how a person may feel after being on social media for too long. Literally feeling like your brain has rotted because you’ve been watching one too many videos, brain rot may actually be quite an apt description of what social media does to our brains, and our abilities to process information.
This article explains what ‘brain rot’ is, how social media may affect our intellectual capacities; and what we can do to manage our social media addictions.
What is Brain Rot?
The term ‘brain rot’ is evocative enough; and its meaning is almost exactly like what it says: the feeling that your intellectual capacity has melted and rotted away. What’s missing in the statement is that this feeling is caused by consuming too much social media content, usually with specific reference to short-form videos such as scrolling through TikToks endlessly.
It could simply be an emotional feeling of being drained or feeling like your brain is full of fog after watching too many videos; but anecdotally, individuals have shared online that they feel like their memory and attention span have deteriorated, after consuming too much social media content. (The irony that they’re sharing their experiences on social media is, of course, not lost on anyone.)
What does Social Media do to our brains?
The question is: is there any scientific truth behind ‘brain rot’, or is it just a feeling?
There has been a lot of research on social media and its impact on our cognitive functions, particularly given the ubiquity of smartphones and various social media platforms in the current zeitgiest. Concerns have risen from parents (amongst others, including educators and policymakers) that social media has caused a decline in their children’s intellectual abilities.
While social media is not without its merits – that is, its ability for us to connect with the community beyond our physical proximity, and the democratisation of information – much research has shown that too much social media can have a negative impact on our brain and mental health.
Spending too much time on social media can lead to increased negative feelings towards oneself, including increasing the risk of depression and anxiety; as well as have an physical impact, such as disrupted sleep, poor memory, and an overall decrease in cognitive function.
This is because of the addictive nature of social media, and the way it constantly bombards us with information. The overwhelming amount of content we feel like we need to look at and engage with eventually fractures our ability to concentrate on a single task; while also over-stimulating our sensory and nervous system. The combined effect of this may lead to the feeling of ‘brain rot’, where one feels like they’re barely able to focus on a single task or that their thinking is cloudied with only memes and jokes that they’ve seen online.
Signs of Social Media Addiction
Yet, despite the problems that social media can create, it’s almost impossible for us to live without these platforms. It’s important, then, to learn how to use social media in a healthy way, one that enables and empowers us to thrive, rather than bring us down.
The first step towards this is recognising when we are too reliant on social media; that is, when we may be addicted to social media, without even realising it.
There are certain signs that you can keep a look out for, which may hint at a social media addiction:
- Feeling the compulsion to constantly check on your social media accounts
- Getting distracted whenever you open your phone and losing large amount of time to browsing social media platforms, without intending to
- Spending less time doing offline activities, in favour of spending time online
- Having huge mood swings, particularly when you are unable to log online
Take some time to reflect on this, and see if you’ve noticed any of these within your own behaviour. Although some of these signs may be a little extreme in nature, this is still a good opportunity to pause and reflect on your social media usage, and if anything needs to change in your own lifestyle.
What you can do about Social Media Addiction
Switch off your notifications
One way phone companies get us looking at our devices is by sending us constant notifications. Take away this temptation by switching off all your notifications; or, if you need your phone to do work, switch off notifications for unnecessary applications. This decrease the number of times you’ll be prompted to look at your phone.
Set up time limits on your phone
The first thing you can do is set up screen time limits on your phone, so that you get locked out after you’ve hit a certain amount of time either on your phone or on certain apps. This is a good and easy way for you to recognise how much time you’ve spent online – especially if you find that you always lose track of time once you’re on your phone.
Delete the most addictive applications
Although this may feel extreme, you can consider deleting the social media applications that are taking up most of your time. You can find out which are the most time-sucking applications by looking up your screen time on your phone; and if it’s not something that’s essential to your life, consider deleting it completely, or removing it from your home screen.
Explore new hobbies
It can be hard to stay away from your phone at the start – and this is why interesting distractions are important. Find new activities that you can do, such as hobbies you’ve always wanted to try out, which will get you off your phone and into the physical world. If it’s easier, call on a friend and do an activity together, so that you’re also clocking in some quality time with a loved one. The more time you spend away from your phone, the easier you’ll find it to stay offline in the long while and to keep your mind off whatever is happening online.
Get professional support
Lastly, you can speak to a mental health professional for more tailored and professional advice on how you can manage your social media usage. You can browse through our therapist directory for qualified counsellors and therapists, who are more than ready to help, and who will be able to equip you with effective skills to have a better relationship with social media.
References
- https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/what-is-brain-rot-and-why-is-the-internet-talking-about-it-5889964
- https://www.newportinstitute.com/resources/co-occurring-disorders/brain-rot/
- https://www.calm.com/blog/brainrot
- https://www.verywellmind.com/brainrot-8677487
- https://psyche.co/ideas/why-teenagers-are-deliberately-seeking-brain-rot-on-tiktok
- https://www.nbcnews.com/news/gen-alpha-kids-parents-brainrot-language-rcna162227
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7366944/
- https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/it-or-not-social-medias-affecting-your-mental-health
- https://www.nivati.com/blog/neuroscience-what-social-media-does-to-your-brain
- https://neulinehealth.com/how-social-media-affects-your-brain/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/social-media-addiction
- https://hbr.org/2018/10/i-ran-4-experiments-to-break-my-social-media-addiction-heres-what-worked
