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?

I was literally thinking about this yesterday, I've got 3 bridgerton novels to read and I still haven't picked up the first book. Yesterday I told my partner that social media is killing our minds and not just that but the dribble that spewing out on it, don't get me started on the AI images!. I've taken a break from it all, I'm going to concentrate on other things.

Actually, I hadn’t thought about this, but now you mention it, yes you’re right.
I don’t think I like it.

I agree that it’s the short form videos that affect your attention span the most. Whenever I scroll through reels on Instagram, I can almost feel my attention span dropping and sometimes I’ll go from watching whole reels to only watching the first ten seconds before scrolling on, but it’s really hard to stop myself.

It’s quite different to reading Substack, blogs, articles, Mumsnet threads (which can be quite long and absorbing), or even Facebook back when people might post long updates or interesting links.

I do make the time to read, but it always requires a bit of effort, and it’s so easy to scroll instead, especially when I’m feeling tired.

Yes! It’s bloody TikTok for me and short reels I think, I used to use social media in pre-reels day and had normal concentration.

I really struggle with books and films as well.

I'm so pleased! I don't work for Brick or have any ulterior motive - it is honestly just the best £50 I've ever spent. It would have been worth spending ten times as much on it. Block the Internet entirely on your phone and put the physical device outside your house, if you can (boot of a car, even a neighbour's house if you're close enough). Access the Internet only on a laptop, and put that away somewhere when you've finished using it. Take a book out with you if you'll want something to read. Otherwise, just notice the world around you and sit in silence. Push through the withdrawal symptoms, take them seriously as the sign of an addition. After a few weeks, you won't even want to look at apps or stupid videos. I honestly feel like a Zen Buddhist a lot of the time but really it's just how everyone felt most of the time before about 2015 :-/

It’s truly incredible really.
there was an article in the guardian recently about kids under 14 regulating their own phone use because they had, had enough too. You know it’s a serious problem if even kids recognise it

I find the reels on SM have become self-defeating because so many are AI. I have absolutely no interest in watching something that was clearly made up so I increasingly ignore them.

My DH said this. You literally can't believe most of it. See

If I'm struggling to read a book I read out loud. It means to have to engage with the words more. You notice the rhythm and cadence of the language, where the narrative pauses and quickens. Also it's useful to practice accents.

(I started out murdering the Northern Irish accent with Circe by Madeline Miller but I engaged with it pretty quickly and petered out to silence because it is a brilliant book)

Same.
I'm currently making an effort to fight it. My best success to to leave my phone out of arms reach. I'm trying to leave it in the hallway, so that I can still hear it if it goes, but it's not right by me all the time.

Honestly: discipline and motivation. But also, know that concentration and brain capacity comes back very quickly.

The routine I put in place to gently detox:

• removed social media apps from my mobile
• no more phone in the bedroom at night and wait at least 10 mins after being up in the morning to look at it (unless its to start the meditation app haha)
• no more headphones and phone in the bag in public transport. So I can either think, and get lost in thoughts, or read my book.
• this one's my favourite: when I'm thinking of a band or an actor's name or something like that, that I know I know but have momentarily forgot, I try to focus hard to find it myself, rather than googling my way out of it.

Its amazing, you almost see yourself opening drawers and cupboards in your own brain, just to find the answer. And the dopamine hit when you find it, oh boy!

I still use social media a bit. but because I don't have the apps, its not frictionless, so not as addictive.

A couple of years ago I got rid of social apps except for LinkedIn which I need for work because I felt like Twitter was really negative in my life. I haven’t missed them much. Now I post sometimes on here and sometimes on quora but otherwise just use the internet for research and shopping. I’m happier. I read, write, make music. All much more satisfying than doom scrolling. More recently I stopped listening to and reading the news which I’m less proud of but also I think I’m happier without it. I’m not uninformed because I read a lot, I’m just detached from the doom cycle. Break the cycle! I think it’s made me a happier, better person.

What is the Christmas mystery book called your brother bought you ?

I agree 100 %
I did the same at Xmas came.off all socials I feel very calm and I see things so differently now x

It's so common now to be like this, I think. I'm not a heavy social media user but I'm like another poster I saw on here who says they can't stop looking stuff up. I do this every time something I'm wondering about comes into my head and it's so annoying.
I find I can still read on train journeys, weirdly. And in the bath, if I have a really good book. Lock your phone up somewhere (in the car?!) and give it a go.

I agree that I find it harder to focus on reading, films etc and feel my ability to focus is impaired. However I have made a determined effort to always have a book on the go in the past year. Because Ive kept a lot of books, I usually choose one I know I enjoyed previously (but have pretty much forgotten completely!). Some have been a slow burn and have sat by my bed for weeks but eventually I have got going and enjoyed them. I tell myself I'll read for 10 minutes every night before I sleep, but I'm not that good at keeping to it.

I have also been to the cinema couple of times recently and found it cathartic to just WATCH the film without googling what else the actors have been in etc! (Which I do at home)

Agree with someone who said creative activities are really helpful for maintaining concentration, I'm re-teaching myself to crochet and also like jigsaws- they are great for soothing the mind and I get addicted so find it hard to stop. Also like listening to podcasts while doing practical things. I love true crime and history and there are a lot of great podcasts to listen to.

But, yes I still scroll or play games frequently.....

Thanks for starting this thread OP. Me too. How ironic though that we're on a MN thread discussing this!

If anyone (like me) can still manage a good novel occasionally, I'd recommend this one as it's about this exact issue & the possible consequences for humanity. It's not obvious from the beginning of the book but, without giving too much away, it becomes clear it's set far into the future - really got me thinking & I'm trying to reduce my screen time, but here I am, still seeking quick dopamine hits on MN!

Hana's Island: Amazon.co.uk: Hill, Julian: 9798252715087: Books share.google/4ezc6WoGUzW7idytF

100%. I deleted all other socials except Mumsnet quite a while ago, but do refer to 2 news apps a lot.
We are all captured and maybe in a couple of decades there will be a societal shift, but at the moment we’re all guinea pigs enslaved to the tech companies and it’s so difficult to resist.

If you used to like reading books, I don't think it's an involuntary choice. It's your choice and reflects your new interests. I think you can change your preferences, but only when you want to.

I am like this too, but have been this way since I started university. My degrees were so intense and full on (civil engineering) that if I didn’t need to be reading or studying I wanted to do something that didn’t use my brain or used a different part of my brain - I used to draw or cook, or do word searches/other puzzles like logic puzzles and read murder mysteries. I find I’m the same now, as my job requires intense concentration for long periods of time or it could literally kill someone; except of course I have the wonders of the Internet to entertain me as well! I don’t really use social media, but I’m a complete MN addict and also read cookery books as a hobby. I find that I also need to plan in some exercise, even if just walking my dog, as that is a good way for me of thinking through problems.

I use social media, obviously, and found the same to an extent.

but then my normal Sunday newspaper (I treat myself to the actual physical papers at the weekend) was bought by an organisation called something like Tortoise News.

it's been a breath of fresh air. It seems to be written from the point of view that you've already read most of the news sites about the issue the paper is addressing, but here is an analysis based on the known facts.

As an example I read a one page review of the Liverpool v West Ham game. Apart from giving the score in the headline, the article was devoted to the dire financial situation West Ham were in, how the club had got there and what the potential outcome could look like.

this gives the paper a "feel" that most social media doesn't have. It has the time to look in depth at the how and why of situations, not just the "what" of situations.

so I think it's quite possible to break the 6 0 second habit, if the writing is good enough to hold your attention.

Got an alarm clock. An actual alarm clock and phone now stays downstairs at night. Game changer!
also don’t have X, TikTok, Snap chat, Fb

I can't seem to figure out posting a link but last weekend there was an article about brain rot in the Guardian which had practical tips

I leave my phone downstairs at night and read on paper not screen as much as possible. It helps.

I'm on YouTube a lot but not any short form platforms. I find that once I pick up a good book I can whizz through it, but I have to persuade myself that I want to pick it up.