A new study coming out of Canada highlights the effects of compulsive viewing of short videos on social networks such as TikTok and Instagram. According to the researchers, endlessly scrolling through short videos on social media, a daily habit for many, could have an unexpected effect: intensifying boredom.

Published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, the study conducted by the University of Toronto Scarborough seeks to understand how the use of fast-forward functions and switching frequently through videos impacts the boredom experienced by users of apps built around such behavior. To undertake their study, the researchers conducted two separate experiments involving around 1,200 participants in the USA and Canada.

First, participants watched a 10-minute video without the option of fast-forwarding or moving on. Next, they were given a choice of 7 videos, each 5 minutes long, with the option of switching between them at will, again for 10 minutes. In a second phase, participants watched a 10-minute video all at once, followed by a 50-minute video where they could move forwards or backwards as they wished.

Participants expected to be less bored when they had the option of switching between videos or using fast-forward. However, the results revealed the opposite. After completing the experiments, they reported that watching a video from start to finish was actually more engaging, satisfying and meaningful.

“Digital switching may make the content of online videos seem meaningless because people don’t have time to engage with or understand the content," explains Katy Tam, researcher at the University of Toronto and lead author of the study, in a press release. She adds, “Just like paying for a more immersive experience in a movie theater, more enjoyment comes from immersing oneself in online videos rather than swiping through them.”

Despite these results, short format videos continue to predominate on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and even YouTube. Now, two billion users every month watch shorts on YouTube, whose algorithm favors these formats.