Dear Friends,
Recently, I surveyed a few students on how much time they spend watching Reels or consuming short videos. A few spoke genuinely, and a few did not! It looks like some of them are spending more than 2 hours per day. It is not just students; this survey applies to housewives/husbands, working professionals, the elderly, children, and middle-aged people who have also succumbed to this change.
Let's assume one short video lasts 1 minute. If we watch continuously for 2 hours, we will scroll through 120+ videos. When you are reading a newspaper, it is not just reading alone; you are assimilating those ideas, storing them in the brain, and, if needed, partly analyzing them as well. However, during the actual watching process, you are not giving your brain a chance to participate. As a result, we are paralyzing it.
You might ask, “What is the problem?” as we are cooling the brain for some time. It may act as a regenerative state, similar to meditation. If you think so, we are in big soup! A major review in Psychological Bulletin summarized data from ~71 studies and nearly 100,000 people: heavy short-form video use was correlated with weaker attention and impulse control, and higher depression, anxiety, and stress!!(nbcnews.com/health/health-news/brain-rot-research-short-form-video-consumption-rcna245739)
It is not relaxation! It is actually stress!!
Recently, I asked my students how many clicked on my stories (text-based, story-driven, and long paragraphs!) that I send every Saturday. To my surprise, the click rate is 0%!! However, a recent, albeit controversial, topic on a trivial issue on social media has gone viral, centred on reel-based content. Slowly, we are losing the habit of reading paragraphs and enjoying text! What does it mean? The analytical capability is fading away!!
These survey studies show that higher short-video usage intensity and “addiction” predict decreased attention control and reduced self-control!!
Rather, approximately, we are buying this anxiety and stress!! How? Can you guess? Approximately, 1 hour → $10–$200 from Reels Play Bonus ($0.01–$0.15 per 1K views) or affiliates!!
What does it mean? You are generating revenue for somebody while decreasing your cognitive functioning!!
How much time do you spend on Reels?
Ravi Saripalle
