Fast-forward to boredom: How switching behavior on digital media makes people more bored.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Level 2 by design analogy (series of randomized behavioral experiments)
PubMed 39158465 · doi:10.1037/xge0001639
What was done
Across seven experiments (total N = 1,223; six preregistered), researchers examined the relationship between boredom and digital switching (fast-forwarding or skipping between short videos on platforms like YouTube or TikTok). The experiments assessed whether boredom prompted switching (Study 1), participant expectations regarding switching (Study 2), the causal impact of switching between videos (Study 3) and within videos (Study 4), switching with self-selected videos (Study 5), switching with online articles in university and non-university samples (Study 6), and the influence of opportunity costs (Study 7).
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values, confidence intervals, or test statistics. Across experiments, boredom prompted switching behavior (Study 1), which participants believed would relieve boredom (Study 2). However, switching between or within videos increased boredom, reduced satisfaction, lowered attention, and decreased perceived meaning, even when participants freely selected videos (Studies 3-5). The effect was less conclusive when tested with online articles and among non-university samples (Study 6).
Why it matters
These findings suggest that active attempts to alleviate boredom by fast-forwarding or flipping through short-form video content inadvertently exacerbate boredom by preventing deep immersion.
Limits
The abstract reports no specific quantitative values or effect sizes. Effects did not reliably generalize to online article reading or non-university populations, and long-term habitual consumption outside experimental settings was not evaluated.
Cited by
- supports In experiments, participants given a choice among 20 videos reported feeling more bored than participants who were assigned a single video to watch from the same set.