STUDY REVEALS SURPRISING IMPACT OF SWIPING THROUGH ONLINE VIDEOS WHEN BORED

Matt Case - August 20th, 2024 - 7:40am PDT 

Study: 'Digital Switching' Between Online Videos May Increase Boredom Instead of Easing It

Watching short snippets of online videos and quickly moving from one to the next—a behavior known as “digital switching”—might actually worsen boredom rather than relieve it, according to study findings published Monday.

Katy Y. Y. Tam, a postdoctoral fellow at the Work and Play Lab at the University of Toronto at Scarborough, discussed her research with PsyPost last month. “Before conducting this research, I used to ‘digitally switch’ a lot. If a drama paced too slowly, I’d fast-forward. If a YouTube video became less interesting, I’d skip it,” Tam explained. “However, I realized I wasn’t truly engaging with or enjoying the content. I often missed plot details and spent a lot of time jumping from one video to another. This made me wonder how such switching behavior affects our feelings of boredom and enjoyment.”

In one of the study's trials, volunteers watched a 10-minute YouTube video without the option to fast-forward. They were then allowed to switch freely between seven five-minute videos within a 10-minute period. In another test, participants watched a 10-minute video in one sitting and later had the option to fast forward or rewind through a 50-minute video for 10 minutes.

Dr. George Alvarado, vice chair of clinical operations for Zucker Hillside Hospital in Queens, compared this phenomenon to nonstop channel surfing, but with content tailored to individual interests.

“If you’re feeling bored, you should consider putting away your phone or limiting screen time not related to work or essential communication,” Alvarado advised. “This isn’t to say that apps like TikTok and YouTube should be abandoned, but if you’re experiencing boredom, consuming rapid-fire, highly addictive social media content is probably best done in moderation,” he told the New York Post.