Freedom from Social Storm

By Narvijay Yadav
As India celebrates another Independence Day, perhaps it is time to examine a new kind of dependence. It requires no chains, occupies no territory and imposes no curfew. It simply keeps asking for our attention. One reel becomes ten. A quick check of the phone becomes half an hour. News, messages, videos, arguments and notifications follow us from the breakfast table to the bedroom. Welcome to the social storm.
The numbers now deserve attention. A major systematic review and meta-analysis published in 'Psychological Bulletin in 2025' examined 71 studies involving 98,299 participants. Researchers found that greater use of short-form videos was associated with poorer cognitive performance. The strongest associations were seen in attention and inhibitory control, our ability to resist impulses and regulate behaviour. Greater short-video use was also associated with poorer mental health, particularly stress and anxiety.
This does not mean every reel damages the brain. It tells us something more useful: the pattern and intensity of consumption matter.
A popular expression has emerged around this phenomenon: “brain rot”. Oxford University Press even chose brain rot as its Word of the Year for 2024. The phrase sounds alarming, but medical experts advise against taking it literally.
Dr Kirolos Boulos, a clinical neuropsychologist at University Hospitals in the US, says brain rot is not a medical condition. He explains that constant scanning, shifting and reacting can produce cognitive overstimulation and mental fatigue. People may experience brain fog, difficulty focusing, shorter attention spans, memory problems and sleep disruption.
The architecture of scrolling makes the problem interesting. Every swipe promises something new. Likes provide social validation. Content is unpredictable and effortless to access. Instant gratification arrives repeatedly. Most importantly, continuous scrolling has no natural finish line. A newspaper has a last page. A book has a final chapter. A movie ends. Your social feed can continue for as long as your thumb cooperates.
Dr Boulos points to these tiny, repeated rewards as one reason habits can form. The brain begins expecting that something interesting may be waiting behind the next swipe. Longer articles, books and conversations demand patience. Short videos offer another reward within seconds.
Then comes doomscrolling. We consume wars, crimes, political fights, disasters and outrage long after receiving the information we actually needed. The American Brain Foundation has highlighted how repeated exposure to negative online information can affect our brain and emotional well-being.
Perhaps digital freedom should become part of our modern understanding of personal freedom. We need technology. It helps us work, learn, publish, transact, create and remain connected. The wiser response is to regain control of consumption. Disable unnecessary notifications. Create social-media time limits. Keep the phone away before sleep. Replace some short videos with books and longer articles. University Hospitals also recommends practising 10 to 20 minutes of single-tasking every day to rebuild focus.
Attention is a personal asset. Every app wants a share of it. Every algorithm learns how to retain it. This Independence Day, reclaim a small territory that belongs entirely to you: your attention. The social storm will continue. You can decide how long you stand inside it.
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