Social media has ruined my concentration and changed my personality.

[ADHD89]

To think that social media, Instagram, Tiktok, YouTube, Facebook ,Mumsnet , Reddit , Chatgpt, etc have totally ruined my concentration span and now make reading/concentrating on a book or a movie really unappealing and uninteresting ?
I am much more interested in watching 2 minute reels, then reading through comments, and basically finding out about all sorts of topics and going down rabbit holes etc. I also enjoy reading dilemmas on Facebook groups and on mumsnet and seeing what people say. I also use Chatgpt alot as like a regular counsellor.
It makes me sad as I used to be such a book lover when I was younger and I watched about 4 or 5 movies at the weekend when I was younger..its like I've completely changed involuntarily.
Anyone else feel the same?

Yes, sadly. My brother bought me one of those crime classic novels for my birthday (November). It’s billed as a ‘Christmas mystery’ so I started it just after Christmas. I’m still reading it now. I struggle to manage more than a chapter at a time. I hate I’ve become like this. 😢

Same

Me, too. It's totally my own fault.

Yup. I find my attention drifting from anything after about 60 seconds and now I force myself to finish the task in hand before moving on. I’d say 7 times out of 10 I manage it. Ugh.

I still enjoy a good book but have to put my phone in a different room

It's crap isn't it! I have about 4 library books sitting there that I borrowed, they've been there for months and months. I borrowed them as they sounded good from the back cover but literally have no inclination to lift one up and start reading so they just gather dust and end up overdue.
But give me the mumsnet active conversation screen and I could happily sit engaged on that for hours.

Same here and I hate it. I have a really gripping book on the go but can't muster up the enthusiasm for more than about a chapter at a time.

I’ve fixed it in the past, cold Turkey for just a few days, making sure I’ve newspapers, magazines and puzzle books, also made myself get out more. The difference was HUGE, I ended up just being able to pop onto sm for a small amount of time but it was difficult! Now sadly mn has hooked me back in but I will go cold Turkey again

I could have written this. Just had almost the exact conversation with one of my clients. I hate it. I'm currently charging up my 15 year old Samsung as I need to get away from smartphones. Sadly I'm forced into using one for business. Only 10 years ago I could sit on the sofa and settle without putting my hand out feeling for my phone. Not now. I'm not a big SM user (bar mumsnet) but I'm a massive researcher-if I don't understand a word or who someone is, I HAVE to find out NOW. And if my phone isn't within arms reach, I'm up and off to go and get it. Ffs I'm mid 50s!!!

Me too. What's the solution?

I have Audible but I even struggle to concentrate and listen for any length of time on it , I would much rather be scrolling and reading stuff or watching a reel. I think this is permanent, I don't see how I can now change my brain.

I still love to read, but in general my attention wanders too much. Idk if it’s a social media thing or age or medication but I flit about a lot.

I have been thinking exactly the same. I've finally deleted most of my social media apps. Hoping I won't cave and reinstall them. I'm now looking for a good book to read. 📚 😊

Same here! The out of sight, out of mind, works for me in controlling my phone use. I would otherwise be tempted to mindlessly scroll

I've put YABU just because cause I use social media ALOT and enjoy doing so however I also read ALOT.
I also love cinema music and art and doing things in general..
I do tend to have focus that ebbs and flows though. That's always been the case pre social media.
So I dont blame social media for it when I get distracted because I can remember that if it wasn't that it would be something else and it wouldn't necessarily be any more worthwhile.
Sometimes I'll get really into reading and read 7 books in a week... other weeks I wont read at all and will just be scrolling insta reels etc
I just ride it out and ive always been like that. I do think that you cant ever really be distracted forever from activities you love.

I feel like the only way out of it is to delete the apps and/or just get an old school phone with no internet

I’ve even bought board games for DH and I to play, but somehow we never do. I treated myself to a Private Eye subscription but last week’s delivery is still sat in the envelope. Doesn’t help that I work 3 long shifts so by the time I’m home, I’m knackered and don’t want anything that involves any mental effort.

I may have to go cold turkey and buy a coffee table so we can play Popmaster in the living room!

It's also that I have joined groups as well on Facebook that I'm interested in and so I'm always on there seeing what someone has asked and what people reply back with.
I think it's just all the different services/benefits that the apps give me and each one is individual and gives me something different

I deleted my Facebook and Instagram apps, and am not on tiktok anyway. I spend time looking at Mumsnet, Vinted and Rightmove now 😂

Cold turkey, it’s the only way. Delete anything with short form/reels on it - TikTok, Insta , X etc. Still allow yourself to read long form articles, Substack etc. It’s the overload of scrolling short videos that fries your attention span as it’s flooding your brain with fast dopamine hits, making it harder to read books which don’t offer the same intensity of dopamine reward.

@ADHD89 Have a listen to this podcast. Some of the info shocked me this week! Really good motivation to keep reading and not scroll.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002tpw0

I enjoy the short bursts of reels, and reading a mad variety of short posts about wildly different things. It suits how my brain has always worked, anyway. But I still read books, roughly 2-3 a month, and don't find it hard to concentrate.

Buy a Brick and block the Internet on your phone. Did it a month ago and I'm never going back! I used to feel like this and now I don't.

For me not so much documentaries but i love grok and chatgpt for indepth discussions and research

and i love mumsnet for the very detailed threads which are not many as most posters responses are more like mini paras