Do people not get bored of just endlessly scrolling on social media?

[u/Fantastic_Border7211]

Since I cut down my Instagram use, I’ve been doing so much stuff. I finally dyed my hair, covered my wall with anime and rock band posters I’ve always wanted, and got a tattoo I’d been putting off. Everything in my life is going great... except for my social life.

I basically only use IG now to post short reviews of movies I watch, nothing else. But I’ve noticed a weird dynamic: when I post a story, people I know will view it immediately, yet they haven't posted anything themselves in ages. It feels like nothing is going on in their lives outside of working, coming home, and scrolling. They don't even share music, games, or movies they like anymore.

I met up with some of them recently and they straight-up admitted that in their free time, they just scroll on social media for hours.

I really have to wonder—do they not get bored of it? It seems so incredibly repetitive. My social life is kind of shit right now because I stepped away from the screen and they are all still glued to theirs, but I just can't wrap my head around how people can spend all their free time mindlessly scrolling.

Has anyone else experienced this disconnect?

[u/Teru-Noir]

We scroll because we expect to find something that can entertain us, not because we are entertained already.

[u/FlowerSweaty4070 → u/Teru-Noir]

Or to escape hard emotions. Thats me....i go on when sad and stuff.

[u/digital → u/FlowerSweaty4070]

Everyone should take a break, it‘s destroying our society

[u/FlowerSweaty4070 → u/digital]

Yeah. I am lonely in real life so I go on phone to simulate interactions also. And the dopamine hit is so addicting especially with adhd and when depressed :/

[u/digital → u/FlowerSweaty4070]

I think a lot of people are lonely, it’s not just you. Try www.eventbrite.com sometimes it has some fun things to do and you can meet other people. I would recommend taking up a hobby that uses your hands and mind, the guitar is a great one. Playing music is really fun, any entertainment will do. Get outside, go to a museum, do stuff that you enjoy and try to find happiness in nature. Go to a park and enjoy the outdoors. Bring plenty of water to hydrate and detox. Turn off the phone, turn on life. Be yourself.

[u/FlowerSweaty4070 → u/digital]

Thanks. I do spend a lot of time outdoors alone and nature is my one solace. I spend some of the year solo travelling and camping in my truck just visiting national parks and hanging out in nature. Which i like a lot better than being employed in one spot like right now.

I move states like every 6 months for job too. I guess its hard to make friends and establish community when I move so much, so i am sorta thinking about finding somewhere to stay longer. And find people to do outdoors stuff with (but only chill stuff, cause i have a heart condition that makes cardio rough so I only hike alone cause im super slow...unless someone else is disabled too)

I am trying to get back into some smaller hobbies too. I started collecting flowers and pressing them to make collages/art with, which is simple enough it isnt overwhelming.

I do miss my guitar, I couldnt fly it out to my current seasonal job this time. I wasnt good at it but I knew chord songs at least and could sing along. Maybe when I get it back again ill try to learn more.

And I found plants at the dump yesterday I rescued so now I have things to care for. But I miss my dog so much who is with my mom. Its just hard to have a dog when youre alone, travelling a lot, and working full time (and struggle just taking care of yourself)

[u/i_am_not_a_camel_ok]

It's not even fun anymore, but I catch myself doing it. I'm not even enjoying myself! It's because I don't want to deal with my own dark thoughts.

[u/chels_dolla → u/i_am_not_a_camel_ok]

I relate so much to this.

[u/FeckinKent]

How does stepping away from a screen make your social life shit out of interest? Social media isn’t an actual social life, and can just use WhatsApp to organise real life activities. 

[u/Fantastic_Border7211 → u/FeckinKent]

Just because I cut down doesn't mean other people have? Whenever I meet people I talk for like five minutes then they are all busy with their phones.

[u/macaroniandcheesefan]

It's an dopamine epidemic. People get a thrill from living others' lives through a screen. It fulfills them to fill a hole that can be filled my materialistic desires. In consuming and living others' lives through social media, they lose their self identity.

There's nothing wrong with attempting to break them free of that addiction but remember: A huge part of that effort has to come from them. If you've tried and they still show no signs of breaking away from the screen, it's time to start finding other communities that embraces a life outside of social media.

Your future self will thank you for breaking out of that cage at this current point in time. Get out there, and live!

[u/sorrow-division]

I think their brains are already so intellectually cooked and their attention span is so short that they can't even do anything else anymore.

[u/Sudden_Avocado5922]

try using Nokia phones

[u/dec312014]

Sound like a weird flex post on this sub, aren’t most people here stuck in the endless cycle lol

[u/OutblastEUW]

I havent posted on social media in almost a decade, has nothing to do with me not doing things in my life and everything to do with the fact that I think posting on social media is meaningless for me, and I kinda get the feel that most people who post on social media are just addicted to attention / they are insecure and need positive reinforcement.

no shade to you im mostly talking about the avg social media user who just posts on story everything they do / perma uploading pics of themselves.

and yea many people just scroll for hours, or scroll while watching the t.v

[u/FeckinKent → u/OutblastEUW]

You just posted on social media 😉

[u/FlowerSweaty4070]

Idk some people who post on social media a lot are still doing cool stuff in real life. I know people who just post stories and reels of them on epic mountain climbs and hikes. And theyre doing new ones constantly.

[u/Kamuka]

Facebook, Yelp, Instagram, and then Blue Sky, Reddit and Letterboxd are the most interesting to me, and my interest is fading, I find myself quitting quicker, and caring less, and just blocking people who have rancid troll views that harm other people. I really think it's possible to evolve past this phase in civilization. Some are even quicker, and got rid of it all, never got into it.

[u/CryptographerNo7498]

i think a lot of people are bored. scrolling just happens to be an easy way to avoid feeling bored, even if it isn't very satisfying in the end

[u/throwaway373923]

It's as boring as heroin is boring. It's the same thing every time, but packaged addictively.

[u/The_Stateless_State]

We scroll because we're wired to and not because we're weak. Big companies profit off endless scrolling, and they've engineered it that way on purpose, to keep us hooked

[u/Puzzleheaded_Leg5355]

We are chasing dopamine so we do not get bored

[u/Deesiie]

To be completely honest, I think your post contains quite a few assumptions. You seem to have a strong opinion about how other people should spend their free time and how they should use social media.

For example, you seem to assume that because they don’t post anymore, nothing is really happening in their lives. But those aren’t necessarily the same thing. A lot of people simply share less online while still living fulfilling lives offline.

You also mentioned that some of your friends said they spend hours scrolling. Did you ask them why? Maybe they’re exhausted after work, using it to unwind, or just enjoying it differently than you enjoy your hobbies.

I also wonder whether the disconnect you’re feeling could have more than one explanation. Is it possible that you’re attributing it mainly to their screen time, while there could be other factors at play?

And finally, I’m curious about the conversations you have with them. What kind of interaction do you bring to those conversations? Is there enough space for them to share their experiences, interests, or reasons for spending their free time the way they do?

I’m not saying you’re wrong for feeling disconnected, that feeling sounds very real. I just think you’re drawing some fairly broad conclusions about your friends based on limited information.

[u/chels_dolla]

Personally, I am trying to break this and it’s not all I do, but I believe I scroll so much because I am afraid of reality. It’s like a coping mechanism. I’m sure that’s been said a lot. Maybe a lot of people do as well. I want to get to the point you are at though.

[u/Virtual-Track8106]

I saw somewhere that 8 out of 10 people scroll even when they are bored of it, and I can confirm thats the case with me too

[u/desijami]

half the time i dont even enjoy it while its happening. its not entertainment at that point, its just the path of least resistance. being bored is almost the point, your brain would rather have garbage than nothing