Until she installed TikTok, there was no problem. On this app, however, the algorithm is so well adapted to the user that each subsequent video seems to perfectly reflect what the user feels, what they think, what they need. “It’s not just funny videos, because I watch a lot of scientific content. And when I was depressed, my feed was full of videos about this disease and it seemed like it was somehow helping me. Now I have intestinal problems and every second piece of content is about that,” she explains.
However, she admits that when she thinks about it, little information remains in her head. She also has increasing difficulty falling asleep, because when she closes her eyes, images of what she saw appear and her head plays sounds from the app. “Recently, one of the creators spoke about brain rot. In a funny way, he talked about how we all suffer from it, but this is the fate of Internet lovers. It wasn’t serious, but it touched me deeply. I felt like it was about me,” Magda emphasizes.
Escape from reality
The Newport Institute, which deals with mental health research and treatment, defines brain rot as a condition in which we experience mental confusion, feel lethargic, and our concentration and cognitive functions decrease due to prolonged screen time. Brain rot behaviors This includes zombie scrolling, which means browsing social media without any specific purpose and without much emotion, or doom scrolling, which means looking for bad and sad information. According to estimates by scientists at the University of Michigan, up to 210 million people worldwide exhibit this type of negative behavior related to social media abuse and addiction.
Magda says the term “zombie scrolling” perfectly describes how she feels when she stares at the screen for hours. “I’m emotionless. The real world doesn’t exist for a moment and I don’t have to worry about it,” she emphasizes.
This affects some of her relationships, as friends who aren’t on social media often don’t understand her allusions, jokes, or sayings. Magda has found herself losing the desire to get to know people who “don’t get it.” She knows it’s not their fault, but she’s tired of constantly having to explain what she meant. Especially since some things are hard to explain if you’ve never seen a particular movie or photo before.
She feels trapped because she doesn’t want to function like this anymore, but it’s also hard for her to imagine things being different. Even uninstalling the app doesn’t change much, as it’s immediately downloaded back to her phone. It says: This is my escape. What would I replace it with?
Dozens of studies have been conducted and there is no longer any doubt that excessive use of social media really does change our brains.
Life behind the fog
New technology psychologist Dr. numbness.
– Turkle gives the example of people who take out their phones and scroll through the screen in traumatic situations, such as a funeral. Why? Precisely because it is a “safe” world that brings numbness and therefore relief. But unfortunately, this does not help much, we postpone the experience of certain things, and they will certainly end up exploding, like a time bomb, says Kuś.
Furthermore, social media supposedly makes us live in a state of confusion. Events that would have previously made us euphoric now become just a reason to take a picture for Instagram. We do not fully experience the here and now.
Many social media sites also harm our memory. The expert explains that this causes, for example, the “Google effect”: – The belief that we can quickly find some information makes us not remember it. Studies show that it works even when we want to remember something.
Internet Morality
Social media also causes so-called information stress. We receive so many messages and images that we cannot process them, and our body reacts as if we were experiencing a very stressful situation. In addition, it influences the way we view the categories of good and evil.
Kuś says: – I once conducted a study in which we found that cognitive overload and extreme multitasking related to social media use affect morality. They make us start solving moral dilemmas differently – we do it in a more utilitarian, faster, “end justifies the means” way.
In his opinion, the term brain rot, although not strictly medical, reflects these phenomena well, but also corresponds to the conclusions of research that shows that excessive use of social networks really changes our brain.
– Dozens of studies have already been carried out and there is no doubt that this leads to a reduction in the number of connections between neurons and changes in the grey matter in the brain. This is especially true in the areas responsible for memory, information processing and emotional reactions – emphasizes Kuś. However, he cannot answer the question of whether these processes can be reversed. Social networks have only been around for a short time for us to have the opportunity to learn about the long-term effects of their impact.
A meal together
Kamil, 48, is well aware of how social media influences people’s functioning. Still, he finds it hard to resist. He limits his time on Instagram to evening sessions, but when he starts scrolling through his Reels, he often “wakes up” a few hours later and realizes that the clock has struck one or two in the morning.
– The next day I wake up without sleeping and I wonder if it was really worth staying up all night to watch – with excuses – videos of an elephant shitting. Of course I say it wasn’t, but I repeat this behavior – he says.
Although he thinks it’s not that bad, especially compared to his 21-year-old son, who doesn’t really turn off his phone. “It’s also because of him that I try to limit myself, I don’t want to set a bad example,” he emphasizes. According to him, social media builds some of their relationships – they watch videos of some YouTubers together. But they get more. It’s hard for Kamil to ask his son to have at least one meal during which the phone is not used.
Glass wall
– I have the impression that he is behind some kind of glass wall and no matter how much I knock, I won’t be able to break it. I try to talk to him, but I hear that I impose too much on him, that I want the world to be dictated by me. I started using the word “I” so as not to sound accusatory, but it doesn’t change much, says the man.
Kamil doesn’t always understand what his son is saying because he can’t keep up with the internet slang. It’s as if he’s being spoken to in two different languages. But he always asks what’s going on and learns new phrases and netiquette. For example, he’s learned that if someone sends him a reel in a private message on Instagram, he should “give it a heart,” not even as an approval, but as a sign that you’ve received it and watched it.
He admits that he and his wife are slowly beginning to accept that they won’t be able to keep their son away from his phone. They know they made some effort themselves, not introducing major restrictions, allowing him to play lots of computer games and surf the Internet when he was a child.
– The only hope is that a job or a girlfriend will redirect your attention from the Internet to real life – says Kamil.
Extremes and great emotions
Although communication difficulties between generations are highlighted by society as one of the main problems related to Internet abuse by young people, Grzegorz Miecznikowski, an expert in social media communication and internet marketing, says that it is nothing compared to other challenges.
– (EN) We live in a world that is changing more and more rapidly and, indeed, communication difficulties between individual groups may be increasing. But this is not something that cannot be overcome, you can ask younger people to translate and take courses that help overcome the digital divide, he says.
According to him, we should be more concerned about the fact that big corporations are intentionally putting us in a state of brain rot and polarizing us. He explains: – Their algorithms keep us in specific bubbles, increasing the importance of certain events, even if in the “real world” they are not that important. The creators of the app want to feed extremes and evoke great emotions, because thanks to this we comment more, like and engage more. We develop a need for endless scrolling, which numbs us and fries our brains. But the companies don’t care because their statistics are growing, so they can attract new advertisers.
Both Miecznikowski and Kuś point out that there is a solution: limit access to your phone, use digital detox from time to time by deleting apps or disconnecting from the Internet. If this does not help, you may need to consult a specialist – a psychotherapist or psychiatrist.
Strict rules
Igor, 34, believes that rational use of social media is possible. Even if it is part of a hobby, as is his case. Igor has two large profiles with memes: Old photos of Polish celebrities and My life in 1 meme. “I don’t touch on political topics, so maybe that’s why it’s easier for me, because I don’t need to be up to date. There’s no need to react as soon as something happens. I can add content whenever I want,” he says.
Not once or twice has he come close to crossing the line where normal usage becomes problematic. Instead, he has simply set strict rules that he tries to follow. He uses TikTok, which sometimes inspires him to create content, only after work and makes sure that the time spent on the app does not exceed two hours.
In turn, they open Instagram when they want to share a new meme on their profiles or for communication purposes – as that is where most conversations take place.
A momentary fascination
– Besides, I consider being there not just as a hobby, but also as part of my job – emphasizes Igor. – I work in a media industry that focuses on stars and celebrities, so I have to be oriented and aware of trends. Among my relatives, I am considered an expert on memes and I enjoy explaining them what it is all about. I really enjoy it.
He notices that he is having more difficulty concentrating, and his pile of unread books is growing, but other than that he is not experiencing any major difficulties. He believes that concentration problems are something he can deal with. He also doesn’t think we will all end up with “brain rot”. Most of us have become addicted to social media, but he believes that people will eventually learn to use it safely and sensibly.
Igor is optimistic: – The fascination we still have will pass and everything will return to normal. This is not the kind of thing we, as humanity, have ever been through before.
