We often pick up our phone to reply to a message. A news headline catches our attention. One swipe becomes another. Soon, we’re watching a short video about a political debate and scrolling through updates on a natural disaster happening thousands of kilometres away. A few minutes later, we decide to put our phone down. Meanwhile, we’ve already consumed countless pieces of information, yet we struggle to remember what we have actually learned.
I believe many of us have experienced this. And this is what we call doomscrolling. It refers to the compulsive habit of spending excessive time online consuming negative, distressing news or social media content. Source: University of Florida, “UF study finds ‘doomscrolling’ is a unique behavior” — Source
The moment we start doing that, we are actually putting our ability to focus at risk.
In today’s world, where artificial intelligence can write emails, generate code, summarise research papers and answer questions within seconds, one human skill is becoming more valuable than ever: the ability to think deeply.
Deep work, a term popularised by author Cal Newport, refers to the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. Source: Cal Newport, Deep Work — Source Whether solving a mathematics problem, designing software or preparing for a major exam, meaningful work requires sustained attention. We are able to solve complex problems by putting in enough attention. Unfortunately, Gen Z’s digital habits are moving them in the opposite direction.
People tend to pay attention to the latest news, notifications and endless streams of short videos, but they may not realise that constant switching can interfere with sustained concentration. Research on media multitasking has found that social-media multitasking can negatively affect information processing and comprehension. Source: Contemporary Educational Psychology, “Effects of media multitasking on the processing and comprehension of multiple documents” — Source
Social media platforms also use recommendation systems that continuously provide users with content based on their interests and behaviour. This can create an almost endless cycle of scrolling. The longer we stay on these platforms, the more opportunities there are for engagement and advertising. Consequently, our attention has become one of the most valuable resources in today’s digital economy.
A study involving more than 50,000 children and adolescents found that spending four hours or more each day on screens was associated with 45% higher odds of anxiety and 61% higher odds of depression, alongside higher odds of behavioural or conduct problems and ADHD. Source: Dai & Ouyang, Humanities and Social Sciences Communications — Source Prolonged screen time was therefore associated with poorer mental health outcomes in this study, although the findings show an association rather than proving that screen time directly causes these conditions. Source: Humanities and Social Sciences Communications — Source
Meanwhile, the impact extends beyond mental health. According to Professor Gloria Mark, people’s attention on screens has become increasingly fragmented. In 2004, her research found that people remained on a single screen for around two and a half minutes on average. By around 2012, this had fallen to about 75 seconds, and in more recent measurements, the average was around 47 seconds. Source: American Psychological Association, interview with Gloria Mark — Source
We often move between messages, social media and other digital content, making sustained concentration increasingly difficult. Research by Gloria Mark has also found a relationship between faster attention switching and higher levels of stress. Source: American Psychological Association, interview with Gloria Mark — Source
Even brief interruptions can come at a cost. Research by Gloria Mark has found that it can take people up to around 25 minutes to return their attention to a project after an interruption. Source: University of California, Irvine — Source Therefore, a notification that lasts only a second may disrupt productivity for much longer than we realise. Imagine repeating this cycle dozens of times every day. The result is not merely lost minutes but fragmented thinking.
This issue has become a subject of considerable debate. This is primarily because the modern economy increasingly rewards people who can solve complex problems rather than simply access information. Deep work is valuable because it allows people to focus without distraction on cognitively demanding tasks and to master complicated information more effectively. Source: Cal Newport, Deep Work — Source
AI tools have the capability to solve countless problems. However, they still rely on human judgement, especially when people must evaluate outputs, identify errors and decide how AI should be applied. Humans continue to play an important role in developing and applying creativity and critical thinking alongside AI. These abilities are developed through focused effort.
For students, the consequences of doomscrolling and media multitasking are particularly worrying. Students may revise with lecture slides open on the screen while checking social media every few minutes. It feels like multitasking, but research consistently suggests that frequent media multitasking can interfere with comprehension. Source: Contemporary Educational Psychology — Source
A 2024 study involving 134 university students found that students who received and read social-media messages while processing multiple documents showed poorer integrative processing and integrated understanding than those who did not multitask. Source: Contemporary Educational Psychology — Source Studying can therefore take longer without necessarily becoming more effective. We always mistake being busy for being productive.
Malaysia has actually placed significant emphasis on building a digital economy. Through MyDIGITAL and the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint, the country aims to become a regional leader in the digital economy while developing digital talent and accelerating digital transformation. Source: MyDIGITAL, Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint — Source
Malaysia has also established the National AI Office (NAIO), which acts as the central authority for advancing the nation’s AI agenda and aims to accelerate AI adoption, foster innovation and strengthen Malaysia’s competitiveness. Source: Malaysia National AI Office — Source
At the same time, Malaysia’s National Semiconductor Strategy aims to strengthen the country’s position in the global semiconductor industry and move Malaysia towards higher-value technological activities. Source: Prime Minister’s Office of Malaysia — Source
Local universities are producing graduates in sectors such as engineering, computer science and other technology-related fields. The national priority has increasingly shifted towards digital transformation, artificial intelligence and high-value technology industries.
Yet these ambitions depend on more than technology. They rely on people who can analyse complex problems and generate unique ideas. The Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint itself identifies the development of “agile and competent digital talent” as one of its strategic thrusts. Source: MyDIGITAL, Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint — Source
If our workforce spends more time consuming information than processing it, we risk producing generations who are digitally connected but mentally distracted.
It’s undeniable that social media and AI have transformed education and business in notable ways. The goal should not be to reject these tools but to use them intentionally. Meanwhile, our main priority should be to train and protect our ability to focus.
From my perspective, turning off non-essential notifications and reading long-form articles instead of relying solely on short videos can help rebuild our attention. These changes may seem small, but eventually we may see meaningful results.
Ultimately, the battle against doomscrolling is not about spending less time on our phones. It is about protecting one of our most valuable resources: our ability to concentrate.
In this era, choosing to concentrate may become one of the most important decisions we make, not just for our future, but for the nation.
Nicson Yap Yong Ze (nicsonyap3101@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.
