Dibbyajyoti Sarma
(dibbyajyoti.sarma@gmail.com)
Rage bait was the word selected by Oxford as the Word of the Year in 2025. It means "online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted in order to increase traffic to or engagement with a particular web page or social media content". With the drastic increase in the use of social media, have we tried to consider how much time we spend on it? It is often seen in our daily routine that whether at home or in the workplace, while doing any task, if a message alert suddenly beeps or the phone rings, we pick up the phone to answer the call or check the message. Immediately, our fingers spontaneously begin searching for various content on the phone. This happens so rapidly, and our brain becomes so immersed in the pleasure it provides, that we forget how much time we spend doing so. We never think about how frequently our work gets interrupted in this way throughout the day.
This process of moving our fingers up and down on the screen while searching for content one after another on a mobile phone or computer is called scrolling. The Oxford Dictionary defines this word as follows: "to move text or pictures on a computer screen up or down so that you can read or view different parts of it". Now, holding an electronic gadget and scrolling through social media in this manner has become a habit for us, adversely affecting our body and mind. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when people had to remain confined indoors and spend more time using electronic media, whether for work or study, the use of social media also increased rapidly. Although the severity of the pandemic later subsided, the level of unnecessary scrolling increased even further.
The habit of scrolling has now reached such a stage that most people cannot sit peacefully even for a short while without an electronic gadget in their hands. Without consciously realising it, they repeatedly reach for their gadgets, and their fingers automatically begin scrolling. At such times, our addiction to content, such as funny videos, content depicting criminal behaviour, or any other material capable of creating excitement, increases to such an extent that we lose control over our minds and keep scrolling. Any kind of stimulating content further strengthens our urge to move from one item to another, and we begin scrolling faster in response to signals from the brain. At one point, the situation reaches such a stage that we lose the patience to watch even a short video in its entirety and simply keep scrolling.
It is observed that much of this content is either stimulating or creates a negative mindset. The process of continuously scrolling through a screen under the influence of such negative content or news is known by another term: doomscrolling. It means "overconsumption of negative short-form content or news, especially on social media platforms that have an infinitely populating feed of new posts". Excessive consumption of such negative content adversely affects the mind, sometimes causing people to feel lonely, angry and hopeless. Several studies on the effects of scrolling on the human body have revealed various negative consequences. A study conducted among a group of medical science students showed that students who studied using non-digital media had better memory retention than those who studied using digital media.
Another study has shown that the habit of excessively scrolling through short videos reduces the functioning of certain important parts of the brain, thereby adversely affecting the ability to concentrate, make stable plans and maintain self-control. In addition, memory power also gradually begins to decline. Another study involving approximately nine million young people under the age of 25 from several countries showed that when scrolling becomes an uncontrollable addiction, it affects mental health, increases insomnia and makes people less interested in physical activity. A joint study by the American Brain Foundation and Harvard has shown that continuously engaging in doomscrolling makes the amygdala more active. As a result, the secretion of cortisol and adrenaline in the human body increases, raising blood pressure and worsening depression.
The contemporary era is marked by the widespread reach of the internet and social media. To keep pace with the times, we have no alternative but to embrace them. However, we also need to consider the changes that excessive use of such media can bring about. Increasing impatience, a lack of restraint, emotional numbness, depression and feelings of hopelessness are directly or indirectly associated with excessive use of these platforms. It is also noteworthy that the content available through these platforms may contribute to the increasing breakdown of relationships, rising suicide rates and criminal tendencies in society. Therefore, perhaps no one will disagree that it is high time we controlled our access to social media and other content available on the internet.
It has now become necessary for people to develop certain habits to protect themselves from the negative impacts of social media and use it in a controlled manner. For example, setting aside fixed periods of the day without using any electronic gadgets, enjoying nature, developing the habit of reading physical books, chatting with friends without keeping electronic devices nearby, and pursuing personal interests without connecting to social media can help reduce addiction to these platforms. Various countries around the world are now preparing to ban mobile phones in schools, impose age restrictions on social media use and make it compulsory for students to spend a specified period without electronic devices while reading books.
Such measures may protect us to some extent from the negative effects of social media, but they will succeed only when we ourselves recognise the dangers and take steps to reduce our usage. When we free ourselves from the uncontrolled use of such media through self-control and restraint, its negative effects will be less likely to affect our minds and brains. However, if this does not happen, social disorder may increase further. The growing addiction to the internet and social media, along with related behaviours such as scrolling, doomscrolling and rage bait, has begun to gradually weaken our minds and brains without our knowledge. Perhaps it will not take much longer for this to become a deadly and silent threat to our well-being in the future.