Fighting the Short-Form Content Addiction

An Example of Short-Form Content Consumption. Daniela Ivančáková.

Falling into the endless depths of social media platforms is way easier than finding the way out. Users watch, rewatch and re-rewatch Reels, TikToks, YouTube Shorts, or any other short-form content. While many do not realize the addiction, others feel it affects their lives immensely and take action.

Short-term content consists of short, digital pieces, designed to capture the audience’s attention quickly. This leads to young people finding it challenging to give up social media. The worldwide average of screen time is at 6 hours and 40 minutes, according to the Datareportal. Even further, every fourth young person exhibits addictive behavior, as shown by Statistics by Curr Psychol.

Eliminating the Distraction

Amongst many, Alex Omelka sought a way to fight the addiction, “A friend told me about an app that blocks all the addictive parts, called Distraction Free Instagram. I just instantly downloaded it.”

Distraction-free apps are built on the idea of social media habit control and selective blocking of features. For example, DFinstagram, a replacement app for Instagram, offers the option to disable addictive features of Instagram, including the feed, explorer page, reels and shopping. For those, who seek full block without the possibility of enabling distracting elements, DFA offers the ‘Hardcore mode’ which can only be turned off by reinstalling the app.

“Even hanging out with someone who gets distracted by their phone is weird. They just don’t experience the moment the same”

“I’ve been using Distraction Free Instagram for about a year and a half now and at this point, I have no need for short-form content. I don’t need to enable reels or look at Instagram at all. It would just feel wrong,” says Alex, pinpointing that he only uses the app for direct messages. “In the past year and a half, I read maybe 20 books, which is not an insane amount, but it’s 20 more than I would read before.”

DFinstagram with disabled feed

For the Desperate, A Full Cut Can Work

After realizing the extent of his short-form content addiction, Milan Sopoci chose an even more radical solution by deleting all of his social media four months ago. “Scrolling wasted a lot of my time and energy and had quite a big influence on my mood. It was as if I had no control over myself,” he says.

This decision has impacted his everyday life in many ways, from prolonging his attention span to relieving the pressure to always stay informed. “I barely know about major happenings in the world, usually through friends and I’m okay with not knowing. I sleep better. I don’t have problems with concentration because I don’t need to check my phone every 2 minutes.”

Uninstalling social media has also reflected on Milan’s relationships. “I lost contact with many people, but I honestly don’t mind, because entire conversations were only made of reels. Even hanging out with someone who gets distracted by their phone is weird. They just don’t experience the moment the same,” he tells The Glass Room.

Screen Time Limit with a Friendly Supervisor

Trying another solution to the short-form content addiction, Tereza Kolenová uses a screen time limit. “Last year I tried to delete Instagram completely for like three months, but then I realized there are people who communicate only through Instagram. So instead, I decided to set a screen time limit.”

When considering this solution, Tereza realized how easy it would be to ignore the limit alert, so she asked her boyfriend to set a password for it. Of course, one that she does not know. “If I wanted to break my screen time limit, I would have to ask him for the password. And I told him definitely not to give me the password, but also, I have never asked.”

Tereza observes that the main advantages of limiting social media usage revolve around productivity. She feels she is working more efficiently and can focus better on her studies by not caring about what everybody else is doing online. “When I’m not on Instagram I feel better. You don’t waste your time that much – that makes you feel better.”

Despite the different solutions and approaches to the situation, Alex, Milan and Tereza agree on one thing. The most difficult phase to push through is the beginning, but if you endure, your life will improve visibly. “I think everyone should try it at least for a couple of months. It changes your perspective of time and maybe, even the way you want to live your life,” says Milan.