Sensitized and Habituated to Doom Scrolling

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Think about when you open your phone or device – is the first thing you open up social media? Do you find yourself doom scrolling on TikTok or Instagram reels after telling yourself you are only checking your email or calendar? These habits are learned through habituation and sensitization. Constantly scrolling through videos and posts for long periods of time is the sense of habituation, eventually being unable to notice how much time has passed by or not noticing that advertisements have been popping up between each post. Sensitization can be exemplified by reacting quickly to a notification from our social media. The urgency to see who posted or who liked and commented on your post becomes a stimulus our brain quickly responds to. 


In this article published by Cureus, it is highlighted that excessive social media usage is linked to negative effects in teenagers’ and young adults’ well-being. Because this generation mostly grew up being exposed to social media, the integrity of one’s emotional and mental health became a growing issue due to constant comparison with others. Something that has come to my attention over the last few years is how desensitized we have become as a generation. The lack of sensitization of graphic and/or inappropriate content has become an issue when it comes to children’s content and even for content that adults find on their social media. 


Social media is addicting and a part of our daily routine, making it a hard habit to break and limit. Understanding how our brain processes social media and the act of habituation and sensitization allows us to understand how social media truly affects and influences our behaviors. I have found myself limiting who and what I follow on social media, and I believe that I have found a healthy balance of what content is beneficial to what I like and want to see. While we cannot eliminate social media, we can use it to help build better habits and hopefully build a healthier way of incorporating media into our daily lives. 


Chapter 3, pg. 98-101 (lecture 4) 

Powell, R. A., Honey, P. L., & Symbaluk, D. G. (2017). Introduction to Learning and Behavior (5th ed.). Cengage Learning. 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7364393/ 

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