Study Finds Scrolling Through Online Videos Boosts Boredom

Browsing videos on TikTok or YouTube can be a mix of hits and misses, with some gems hidden among a sea of mediocrity. Researchers have found that switching to different videos or skipping within the same one often leads to higher levels of boredom.

Dr. Katy Tam from the University of Toronto Scarborough, who led the research, pointed out that boredom is closely tied to attention.

“We feel bored when there’s a gap between how engaged we are and how engaged we want to be,” she explained. “When people keep switching through videos, they become less engaged and start looking for something more interesting, which in turn makes them feel even more bored.”

The findings align with other studies that suggest technology usage aimed at relieving boredom might actually make it worse. Tam and her colleagues published their study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, detailing seven experiments with over 1,200 participants.

One of the initial experiments involving 140 participants showed that people tended to switch videos more when they found the content boring. Another online survey with 231 participants suggested that people believed having the option to skip or switch videos would make viewing less tedious.

However, subsequent experiments indicated otherwise.

Data from 166 undergraduates revealed that participants felt more bored when they could skip within a video compared to when they couldn’t. Another experiment with 159 undergraduates showed higher boredom levels when given a collection of five-minute videos to switch between, as opposed to a single ten-minute video.

Similar results were observed when the latter experiment was repeated with 174 undergraduates who chose their own YouTube videos, although the effect was smaller.

In contrast, when 175 participants from a broader age range were tested, there was no significant difference in reported boredom whether they watched five-minute videos they could switch between or a single ten-minute video. The sequence in which participants undertook the viewing tasks also influenced their levels of reported boredom.

Tam speculated that the differences in results might be due to demographic factors, noting that later experiments involved participants of varying ages, which could influence video-watching habits. “We think that viewing and switching habits may differ based on age and digital media consumption, but further research is needed to explore this,” she said.

Ultimately, Tam suggested refraining from reaching for fast-forward or skip buttons too quickly and finding ways to stay focused while watching videos. “Our research shows that while people try to avoid boredom by skipping or fast-forwarding videos, this behavior can actually make them feel more bored.”

She likened the experience to paying for an immersive movie theater experience, emphasizing that enjoyment often comes from immersing ourselves in videos rather than constantly swiping through them.

Source: The Guardian