Oluwatobiloba Henry
Spiritual or otherwise, the insidious effects of social media are gradually unravelling as comprehension levels seem to be plummeting like an anchor sinking into the depths. Simple concepts are increasingly difficult to grasp, and logical thinking is slipping further away from the average person and I’m convinced this not-so-new but ever-demanding drug called social media is to blame.
According to a January 2024 research from GWI, the “typical” internet user spends almost 2½ hours each day using social media platforms, equating to more than one-third of our total online time. TikTok has the highest average time per user, but YouTube accounts for the greatest overall share of total social media time. On average, that means that social media accounts for 35.8 per cent of our daily online activities, meaning that more than one in three internet minutes can be attributed to social media platforms.
This pervasive use has significant implications. Consider this: People are no longer reading in-depth content; instead, we skim, scroll, and swipe, often bypassing long texts without truly absorbing them. We also tend to overlook lengthy terms and conditions, mindlessly agreeing to them without reading them. The root cause? Endless scrolling and swiping conditions us to disengage from more substantive content.
Recently, I spent 1 hour and 34 minutes listening to a Jordan Peterson podcast where he delved deep into the effects of Marxism on academia. Afterwards, I hopped into the comments section, eager to engage with others on the same journey. But what did I find? A slew of comments asking for summaries or—worse— blatantly misquoting what had been said. It struck me: how many people finished the episode?
You might think there’s no connection between this and the plummeting comprehension levels but look around closer. How often do your friends truly understand the lyrics of a song, especially when they’re packed with double meanings? How quickly have people been swayed by ideologies that would crumble under a few hours of scrutiny? And it doesn’t stop there. Just a glance at the schools—in the United States, the 2023 National Assessment of Educational Progress revealed that reading scores for 9-year-olds dropped five points compared to 2020, the largest decline since 1990. The situation isn’t unique to America. In Nigeria, a 2023 UNICEF report showed that 70% of children aged 10 cannot read a simple sentence or perform basic math. Across Eastern and Southern Africa, UNICEF’s 2023 data indicates that 9 out of 10 children aged 10 cannot read and understand a simple text. Even in the UK, a 2023 study by the National Literacy Trust found that only 47.8% of children say they enjoy reading, the lowest level since 2005.
Meanwhile, a 2023 Gallup survey found that Americans read an average of 12.6 books during the past year, continuing a downward trend and marking the lowest average in three decades of Gallup measurements. These global trends paint a concerning picture of declining literacy and comprehension levels worldwide, coinciding with the rise of social media usage. These global trends paint a concerning picture of declining literacy and comprehension levels worldwide.
This isn’t just my take. Research from the University of California, Irvine, led by Gloria Mark, shows that the human attention span is steadily declining. The study, The Cost of Interrupted Work: More Speed and Stress, found that constant interruptions and rapid task-switching lead to heightened stress and lowered productivity. Sounds familiar, right? Social media’s endless stream of short-form content is chipping away at our ability to focus and comprehend.
The world might need to go cold turkey if we’re to claw our way back from this. Tech companies might need to seriously reevaluate their business models and prioritize user well-being over engagement metrics. Perhaps it’s time for a collaborative effort between tech giants, policymakers, and mental health experts to develop more responsible social media platforms. Parents might have to start enforcing stricter social media policies at home—an all-hands-on-deck approach to this digital epidemic.
Here’s the scary part: what guarantees do we have that the next wave of pilots, doctors, nurses, or lawyers truly grasped the skills they were supposed to master? And even if they did, what’s to say your child’s doctor won’t be too distracted to diagnose correctly? Where do we go from here? I’m asking you not just as a reader but as someone who might one day find themselves at the mercy of this growing issue.
Maybe it’s time for the Senate to stop merely paying lip service and start holding tech giants accountable with real, tangible reforms. Schools could introduce ‘digital literacy’ courses that not only teach students how to use technology but also how to critically evaluate online information and manage their digital consumption. Families might consider implementing ‘tech-free’ times or zones in their homes to encourage face-to-face interaction and prolonged focus on single tasks. On a personal level, we can start by auditing our own social media use, setting strict time limits, and consciously engaging in activities that build our attention spans, like reading long-form articles or books.
Of course, it’s important to recognize that social media isn’t all bad. It has connected people across the globe, giving voice to marginalized communities, and served as a powerful tool for spreading information. However, the benefits don’t negate the very real cognitive risks we’re facing. The challenge lies in harnessing the positive aspects of these platforms while mitigating their harmful effects on our brains and society.
Maybe, just maybe, we need to log off, step outside, and reconnect with the world beyond our screens. Our comprehension, our focus, and perhaps even our future might depend on it.
It’s commendable that you’ve read this far, perhaps it’s time to take time off your screen time, go outside and touch grass!
