It’s clearer than ever that social media, mobile games and short-form video are completely destroying our ability to focus and do meaningful work.
I’ve seen a huge increase in the number of family members and friends diagnosed with ADHD over the last couple of years. And it’s not just young people. It’s everyone from kids and teenagers to folks well into their forties. It’s my belief that this quick rise in diagnoses is closely tied to, if not directly caused by, a growing prevalence of media content that is fragmenting our attention.
If you’ve ever spent an hour or two doomscrolling or going down the YouTube rabbit hole, you’ve had a taste for these addictive substances. They provide tiny hits of dopamine—enough to keep us hooked—but in the end leave us mostly unsatisfied. It’s as though everyone now has direct access to cocaine. On demand. Every single day. And for some reason, we’re all kind of okay with it.
But we shouldn’t be. Not if we value our time and health. And certainly not if we have any ambition to improve the state of the world.