08/24/2024 – 17:00
It is known that many people use the internet as a way to overcome boredom. However, ironically, the frequent exchange of online content, often automatically, can make the situation worse. This is what a new study, published in the scientific journal Journal of Experimental Psychology.
According to the study, hundreds of online volunteers reported feeling more bored after skipping from one YouTube video to another over a 10-minute period. According to study authors Katy Tam and Michael Inzlicht, people may be inadvertently intensifying their boredom.
The researchers recruited individuals to frequently switch between videos on the digital platform and report how bored they felt before and after the experiment. According to Tam and Inzlicht, people switch between media on mobile devices an average of 101 times a day, whether on YouTube, TikTok or Netflix, for example.
One hypothesis put forward by experts is that it is not the content of the videos themselves that intensifies boredom, but rather the incessant switching between clips – regardless of how interesting (or not) the video in question may be.
The study’s finding was assertive: “Switching between videos and within the video itself […] led not to a decrease in boredom but to more boredom; it also reduced satisfaction, reduced attention, and decreased meaning,” he says.
To explore their hypotheses, seven studies were conducted simultaneously. In each case, between 140 and 231 participants were recruited to be entertained with either a 10-minute video (without the option to switch) or a 5-minute video (with the option to switch). The goal was to help them relax.
The idea was to see how boredom varied depending on whether or not it was possible to switch videos.
Overall, the research found that participants who switched media reported feeling more bored and less satisfied – even with the freedom to choose any YouTube video.
In conclusion, the authors state that this exchange led to disengagement, increasing boredom. “When participants practiced digital exchange, they became unable to fully immerse themselves in the current content and make it meaningful,” they say.
The experts also write that the study raises more questions than it answers, noting that future research could continue to investigate the topic.
However, they assert that “people are certainly getting more and more bored.”
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