Summary: Swiping through online videos to alleviate boredom may actually make people more bored and less satisfied with the content, according to new research. The study found that switching between short video snippets or fast-forwarding through them leaves viewers feeling less engaged and more restless.
Participants reported greater satisfaction and meaningful engagement when they watched a single video without interruptions. The findings suggest that to enhance enjoyment, viewers should minimize digital switching and focus on fully engaging with the content.
Key Facts
- Switching between videos or fast-forwarding increases boredom and reduces content engagement.
- Participants found watching a single video more satisfying and meaningful than digital switching.
- Digital switching may contribute to negative mental health outcomes, like increased boredom and anxiety.
Source: APA
Swiping through online videos to relieve boredom may actually make people more bored and less satisfied or engaged with the content, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
The study included seven experiments with a total of more than 1,200 participants from the United States or college students at the University of Toronto.
In two baseline experiments, participants switched from one online video to the next when they were bored, and they predicted they would feel less bored by switching videos instead of watching them in their entirety.
However, the study found that digital switching – watching short snippets of videos or fast forwarding through them – actually made people more bored, said lead study author Katy Tam, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto.
The research was published online in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
“If people want a more enjoyable experience when watching videos, they can try to stay focused on the content and minimize digital switching,” Tam said.
“Just like paying for a more immersive experience in a movie theater, more enjoyment comes from immersing oneself in online videos rather than swiping through them.”
In one experiment with two segments, all the participants watched a 10-minute YouTube video without having the option to fast forward. In another segment, they could freely switch through seven five-minute videos within 10 minutes.
Participants reported feeling less bored when they watched the single video and found the viewing experience to be more satisfying, engaging and meaningful than when they switched through different videos.
There were similar findings for another experiment where participants watched a 10-minute video in one segment but could fast forward or rewind through a 50-minute video for 10 minutes in another segment.
“Digital switching may make the content of online videos seem meaningless because people don’t have time to engage with or understand the content,” Tam said.
Watching short videos on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook or other online media platforms is a common pastime as people spend more time on their smartphones. Many people will go to great lengths to avoid the restless or empty feelings that are often triggered by boredom.
To avoid boredom, previous research has found people may harm others for pleasure, shop impulsively, give themselves electric shocks, endorse extreme political orientations, or engage in counterproductive work behaviors.
This study didn’t examine whether short attention spans contributed to any increases in boredom or digital switching. Because the participants in several experiments were Canadian college students, the findings may differ by age or experience with digital media and may not be representative of the U.S. population.
Even though many people are quick to grab their smartphones while waiting in line or riding in an elevator, previous research has found that smartphone use increases boredom and undermines enjoyment in social situations.
Digital switching may be a related source of boredom, which could have negative mental health consequences. Chronic boredom is linked with depressive symptoms, anxiety, sadistic aggression and risk-taking, Tam noted.
About this psychology and boredom research news
Author: James Sliwa
Source: APA
Contact: James Sliwa – APA
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Closed access.
“Fast-Forward to Boredom: How Switching Behavior on Digital Media Makes People More Bored” by Katy Tam et al. Journal of Experimental Psychology
Abstract
Fast-Forward to Boredom: How Switching Behavior on Digital Media Makes People More Bored
Boredom is unpleasant, with people going to great lengths to avoid it. One way to escape boredom and increase stimulation is to consume digital media, for example watching short videos on YouTube or TikTok.
One common way that people watch these videos is to switch between videos and fast-forward through them, a form of viewing we call digital switching.
Here, we hypothesize that people consume media this way to avoid boredom, but this behavior paradoxically intensifies boredom.
Across seven experiments (total N = 1,223; six preregistered), we found a bidirectional, causal relationship between boredom and digital switching.
When participants were bored, they switched (Study 1), and they believed that switching would help them avoid boredom (Study 2). Switching between videos (Study 3) and within video (Study 4), however, led not to less boredom but more boredom; it also reduced satisfaction, reduced attention, and lowered meaning.
Even when participants had the freedom to watch videos of personal choice and interest on YouTube, digital switching still intensified boredom (Study 5).
However, when examining digital switching with online articles and with nonuniversity samples, the findings were less conclusive (Study 6), potentially due to factors such as opportunity cost (Study 7).
Overall, our findings suggest that attempts to avoid boredom through digital switching may sometimes inadvertently exacerbate it. When watching videos, enjoyment likely comes from immersing oneself in the videos rather than swiping through them.
