When was the last time you were bored? “I’m bored” is a phrase that many teenagers might not have said to themselves since they were small children. The overwhelming and fast-paced nature of growing up, taking on more responsibilities, and finding one's place in the world are definitely reasons for this. However, another primary cause is the endless stream of content available on social media and the internet at large. “Doomscrolling” in particular — being on social media for a long time while consuming worrying or negative content — is detrimental to the teenage mind. Bad news grabs our attention as algorithmically-selected content programs us to expect constant dopamine hits. However, for young people in particular, having boredom in our lives is necessary to be able to think clearly and envision a better future. “Normally, if I’m at home or something, (my brain) will find something to do that’s creative or interesting or maybe even productive, so I do think that being bored is pretty important,” Berkeley High School sophomore Annabelle Fretz said.
In addition to doomscrolling, an overconsumption of “brain rot” content — unchallenging or frivolous content which leads to a decline in intellectual thinking — is detrimental to teenagers’ perception of self. As we are bombarded with endless entertainment, it may be harder to understand ourselves and concentrate on tasks. One particularly harmful effect of short term content is that it makes it harder to concentrate on long form films and novels, particularly slower and more contemplative ones. “Realistically, the capacity to sit somewhere and read a book takes a lot of effort, and it's hard for people, especially kids who have grown up watching seven second long clips of stuff," Fretz said. Long form storytelling is increasingly difficult for people to endure, something that is impacting and will continue to impact the stories that are created. “I've been teaching now for 14 years, and I feel like we are, in general, just getting through less material,” BHS history and government teacher Rebecca Villagran said. Notably, teenage students are reading fewer novels in school than ever before and are not as ready to read at the college level. A viral 2024 article from The Atlantic detailed how a student at Columbia University told a professor that she had never been required to read a full book in high school, leaving her professor stunned.
In addition to harming our approach to creating and appreciating art, an exposure to extremist political content on social media via doomscrolling promotes more cynicism and general anger towards society. While understandable, these pessimistic attitudes set back political progress and feed into a culture of hopelessness and disillusionment. “You're more likely to see things that you either agree with or are put there to enrage you further. You spend more time on this one video that kind of gets you riled up about the state of the world, and then they're going to show you more of those because you spent time on it,” Villagran said. When we consume too much upsetting content, we do not allow ourselves time to brainstorm solutions or ideas about what we can do to contribute to society. On top of this, hopelessness can turn into a privileged mindset that those who are not directly affected by societal problems can retreat to. Those who feel simultaneously hopeless about certain issues and detached from them may turn to pessimistic viewpoints rather than trying to take action and sustain hope for a better future. It can turn into a way to disengage when what is really needed is action.
The same can be said for art as can be said for political change. Technology has made creating art easier, helped art reach more people, and created online communities around art. There is reason to stay optimistic. While some creative people may feel stuck, many people actually have more resources than ever before right in front of them. In order to meaningfully create, we must expand our minds to unseen corners, ones that cannot be discovered if we are trapped in dopamine release cycles.
We need boredom. It is a powerful tool that is necessary for the mind, particularly for youth, who will shape the future. In order to allow for creative problem solving for both art and social change, we need to let our minds wander and form unique connections. Allowing ourselves to focus on a specific task forces us to come up with creative solutions and introspect, both of which are essential for our future.