Endless scrolling of short videos on social media intensifies boredom

The endless scrolling through short videos on social media, a daily habit for many, may have an unexpected effect: intensifying boredom, according to a recent study conducted by the University of Toronto Scarborough and published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.

The study seeks to understand how the use of fast-forwarding functions and frequent video switching influences the boredom felt by users of these apps. To do this, the researchers conducted two separate experiments involving approximately 1,200 participants, in the United States and Canada.

In the first phase, participants watched a 10-minute video without the ability to fast forward or skip to another video. They were then given the opportunity to choose from seven 5-minute videos, with the ability to switch between them at will, all for 10 minutes. In the second phase, participants watched a 10-minute video in one go, and then a 50-minute video where they could skip forward or rewind at will.

Participants expected to be less bored if they had the option to change videos or use fast forward. However, the results revealed the opposite. After completing the experiments, they reported that watching a video from start to finish was actually more engaging, satisfying, and meaningful.

“Short videos and fast-forward functions can make online video content seem meaningless. People don’t have time to engage or understand what they’re watching.,” explains Katy Tam, a researcher at the University of Toronto and lead author of the study, in a press release. She adds: “Much like paying for a more immersive experience in a movie theater, the pleasure comes from immersing yourself in a long video rather than consuming a multitude of content at high speed.“.

Despite these results, short videos continue to dominate on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and even YouTube, with two billion users now watching Shorts on YouTube every month.