Transparency Item: The Perspectives section of the Graphic is comprised of articles based on opinion. This is the opinion and perspective of the writer.
The urge to constantly consume and obtain things in excess has become deeply embedded in everyday life. Overconsumption is often associated with clothing, where fast fashion trends fill closets with items that are unused and quickly discarded, according to UCLA Sustainability.
It also appears in food, especially in the United States, where oversized portions and eating habits far exceed what is necessary, according to WebMd. Material positions also reflect this pattern — people accumulate far more than the basic necessities simply because more is always available.
But what about the over consumption of media? Our society has entered a time where everything we could ever fathom is at the tip of our fingertips, all stored in the tiny little devices we find ourselves attached too.
This world has become oversaturated with the media. With notifications of news headlines buzzing phones multiple times an hour, and the exposure to hundreds of 15-second videos in spans of minutes — the over consumption of media is inevitably disastrous.
The greatest tool of our existence — the human brain — is in jeopardy, according to the National Library of Medicine.
The media consumption epidemic of this generation leads to a form of suffering called “media saturation overload,” according to the American Psychological Association. It is nearly impossible for the human brain to withstand the level of unpredictability, influx of emotionally driven news and the never ending mindless scroll.
Social media has given humans the ability to consume the lives and opinions of 100 people before getting out of bed in the morning. It has become possible to feel emotionally connected and live vicariously through influencers, celebrities and strangers online that don’t even know we exist.
As entertaining as it may be, constantly being aware of complete strangers’ daily routines, frequent whereabouts and personal issues and opinions is information that is useless to the mind, and it is fragmenting the brain. Every 15 seconds, with every swipe through a post, emotions jump from joy, to anger, envy, sadness and jealousy with no time to process what was just consumed.
A person can see a social media post that makes them sob and then scroll to a post that has them laughing, leaving the brain confused and overstimulated. Social media has allowed us to see everything but feel nothing.
Details such as what a stranger ate for breakfast, or a random person’s family drama or an influencer’s daily routine serve no real purpose in our lives, yet they take up valuable and limited mental space.
Are we really willing to give up our scarce mental capacity for people or content that doesn’t serve us with any personal benefit?
This endless loop impedes my abilities to think clearly. It turns what is known to be our greatest facet — our brain — into a sponge that soaks up everything but retains nothing. With the constant overflow of unneeded and quickly disregarded information, I feel like my brain no longer knows what to keep and what to disregard.
Oftentimes, I find myself searching for ways to feel human again. With constant consumption of media, I’m less engaged with presence and disconnected with reality. I have concluded I rarely ever feel anything good after a long and mindless scroll.
The more in tune I get with the damage I am causing with my mind leads to heightened awareness of what I am consuming. I have started asking myself how badly I need to know the content I am consuming while I scroll, and the vast majority of the time the answer to that question is what inspires me to put my phone down.
As with most things in life, everything is a choice. To choose to spend valuable time mindlessly consuming means being aware of the consequences. Shifting the intentionality of what’s consumed is the biggest step in reclaiming mental clarity and purpose. It’s easy to get stuck in the void of a scroll, but at what point is it worth jeopardizing our minds — what is known to be our greatest tool?
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Contact Eva Shauriki via email: eva.shauriki@pepperdine.edu
