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The Future. A new study from the University of Toronto Scarborough reveals that people’s quest to dodge boredom by “digital switching” — jumping from one video to the next or fast-forwarding through content — actually makes their boredom worse. This discovery could lead social media platforms to introduce features that encourage viewers to stay engaged with content longer, such as rewards for watching videos in full or algorithms that promote continuous viewing.
Skip and yawn
Dr. Katy Tam, the study’s lead author, and her team conducted several experiments, where participants who watched a single video uninterrupted reported higher levels of focus and enjoyment compared to those who skipped through multiple shorter clips.
- One experiment with 140 participants showed that people are more likely to switch between videos when they find the content boring.
- However, additional experiments with over 700 participants revealed that this behavior leads to increased boredom, not relief.
Binge or bust
The study highlights a surprising paradox: when we have the freedom to skip around, we feel more bored than when we watch just one video in its entirety.
So, while we might think that we’re curating our social media experience for maximum enjoyment, we’re actually spiraling deeper into boredom. The irony.
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