Once upon a time, humans woke up, stretched, yawned, and greeted the sun. Now, they wake up, stretch, and immediately grab their phones to check WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter (or X, if you want to sound fancy). The sun can wait, notifications can’t….
Social media has pulled off something remarkable — it has transformed ordinary people into expert scrollers. Some people scroll just once or twice a day. Others? Oh, they scroll like it’s a full-time job. Wake up — scroll. Breakfast — scroll. Lunch — scroll. About to sleep? Oh no, let’s scroll for just five minutes (which turns into an hour).
The scroll marathon
Have you ever caught yourself opening an app, closing it, and then reopening it immediately, as if some new life-changing post appeared in those 0.5 seconds? That’s social media magic right there.
There are categories of scrollers:
Casual visitor: Opens Instagram or Facebook once or twice, likes a cat video, and moves on. A rare breed.
Sneaky scroller: Opens social media only when their boss isn’t looking. Expert in quick likes and shares.
Deep diver: Starts with checking one post and, somehow, ends up watching a documentary on how turtles make friends.
Phantom liker: Scrolls endlessly, never likes, never comments, just lurks like a social media ninja.
Meme enthusiast: Logs in only to laugh at memes. Leaves feeling like a comedian.
Homemaker hustler: Finishes cooking, cleaning, and laundry at record speed, not out of duty, but for those precious scrolling moments.
The black hole of ‘just 5 minutes’
Everyone has said, “I’ll just check for five minutes” and everyone has failed. Five minutes on social media is like time travel, you enter at 10 p.m. and emerge at midnight, confused but entertained.
And then there’s the algorithm. It knows you better than your best friend. One day you Google “how to bake a cake” and, the next day, your feed is flooded with 500 ways to bake cakes you’ll never actually bake. Your innocent curiosity about gardening? Now you’re bombarded with plant care tips, composting hacks, and how to grow avocados in a tiny apartment.
The psychological trap
Social media doesn’t just take time; it rewires our brains. The constant cycle of likes, comments, and notifications triggers dopamine, the same feel-good chemical associated with rewards and addiction. No wonder we keep coming back for more.
Even productivity suffers. One second, you’re working on something important; the next second, you’re deep into a YouTube video titled “10 conspiracy theories that will blow your mind”.
And let’s not even talk about doomscrolling — the habit of endlessly consuming negative news. One bad headline leads to another, and before you know it, your mind is flooded with anxiety about things you have no control over.
Can we escape?
Theoretically, yes. We tell ourselves, “Enough scrolling for today”, but then a notification pops up, and BOOM, we’re back in.
A few brave souls have tried digital detox — deleting social media apps, switching to books, and going for walks. But even they eventually return, realizing that FOMO (fear of missing out) is real. After all, how will you know which celebrity broke up, which meme is trending, or what your friends ate for lunch?
Social media is like an infinite buffet — always offering more, never letting you leave. So, will humans ever stop scrolling? Probably not. But hey, as long as we’re entertained, why fight it? Just remember to blink once in a while.
Published – April 20, 2025 01:38 am IST