social media causes brain fog
What I have noticed when engaging with social media such as Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube is that these sites, especially with their feature of reels - the unstoppable upward-scrolling video clips- induce a kind of brain fog. These video clips hook your mind with bait, which could be something that endears you, enrages you, or educates you.
You come off feeling like you are learning or that you are receiving social validation, like from a friend or a family member, or that you are standing up for your community.
All these are good, but the issue is that, slowly, you lose control of what you need or what your goals and stands are. You seem to start drumming to the beat of these reels. The reels tell you to get agitated about a topic, so you do; they tell you to get endeared to certain pets and animals, and you start feeling dear to them.
And lo and behold, 12 hours of the day have passed; 100 hrs of the week have passed. Then you have a strong opinion against a local political leader or a strong opinion against a culture or some hard stance.
These platforms are hiding behind the concept of free speech and expression, but they are also shaping perceptions and opinions. Those who are old enough to have lived through telegraph, trunk phone calls, dial-up internet, newspapers and magazines can tell the difference between being informed and being perception-managed.
I worry for the next generation that knows no other form of information consumption than reels or unending scrolls of videos. Their minds are the conquest lands, and the battle is on all fronts.
If anyone has an idea of what should be done, or can be done, to save the next generation's minds, please share.