"Watching YouTube Without Noticing Time Passing... Could I Be Dopamine Addicted Too?" MZ Hooked on Short-Form Content [Youth Report]

Watching 'Short-form' Videos May Cause 'Popcorn Brain'
Deleting SNS Apps to Overcome Dopamine Addiction

Kim (28), a third-year office worker, recently deleted the YouTube application. After continuously watching short-form content and barely falling asleep until dawn, his daily life was disrupted, leading him to delete the app altogether. Kim said, "I found myself watching YouTube without any thought, and three hours had quickly passed by," adding, "As I started going to bed late more often, I couldn't concentrate on work at the office." He continued, "I kept looking at my phone and felt my concentration dropping, so these days, I try to read paper books rather than look at my smartphone in the evening."

Recently, posts related to 'dopamine addiction' have been appearing one after another on social networking services (SNS). Dopamine is a substance produced by nerve cells in the brain and is a hormone that transmits signals related to pleasure and enjoyment. People who mechanically scroll through short-form content like TikTok for hours are sometimes called 'dopamine addicts.' Some are showing behaviors such as limiting smartphone usage time or deleting SNS apps to break free from dopamine addiction.

South Korea Addicted to YouTube, Watching Over 100 Billion Minutes of Videos Monthly

Recent research shows that the time Koreans spend on YouTube has exceeded 100 billion minutes per month. On the 15th of last month, WiseApp, Retail, and Goods, an app and retail analysis service, surveyed Korean smartphone users and reported that YouTube usage time in October reached 104.4 billion minutes. KakaoTalk (31.9 billion minutes), Naver (22.2 billion minutes), Instagram (17.2 billion minutes), and TikTok (7.9 billion minutes) followed behind.

YouTube app usage time steadily increased as follows: ▲671 billion minutes in October 2020 ▲814 billion minutes in October 2021 ▲913 billion minutes in October 2022 ▲1,044 billion minutes in October 2023. This is attributed to the introduction of 'Shorts.' Shorts is YouTube's short-form service, referring to videos under one minute. Analysts believe that YouTube's move in February to allow creators to monetize Shorts was a growth catalyst.

Besides YouTube, usage time for apps with active short-form services is also increasing. Instagram and TikTok app usage times rose by 262% and 191%, respectively, compared to 2020. This contrasts with KakaoTalk and Naver, which showed increases of 12% and 7% during the same period.

Seeking Only New Stimuli... Beware of 'Popcorn Brain'

As short-form content floods the market, concerns about 'popcorn brain' are growing. Popcorn brain refers to the phenomenon where the brain responds only to strong stimuli, like popcorn popping, and becomes desensitized to slow and subtle stimuli.

When watching stimulating videos, our brain releases dopamine, a pleasure hormone. However, as tolerance to stimuli builds, people seek increasingly stronger stimuli, and eventually, the brain responds only to fast and intense stimuli. This can reduce pleasure from other everyday activities and may lead to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety disorders.

Given this situation, many are trying to distance themselves from smartphones to avoid dopamine addiction. This is also called 'dopamine detox.' They try to minimize dopamine release by deactivating their SNS accounts or deleting apps that consume a lot of time. Some even visit book cafes where entry is allowed only if they hand over their smartphones, making efforts to stay away from digital devices.

Office worker Yang (26) is also challenging himself with a 'dopamine detox.' He said, "I started watching short-form content because it was fun, but once I started, I often ended up watching hundreds of videos," adding, "Watching short-form videos made me feel a sense of self-loathing, and there were many times I thought, 'What am I doing?'" He continued, "These days, I use an app that limits my smartphone usage time," and added, "Reducing smartphone use has increased the time I can fully focus on myself."

Concerns Over 'Dopamine Addiction' Continue... "Children May Struggle to Adapt to Non-Digital Activities"

[Image source=Pixabay]

As the risks of dopamine addiction increase, experts' concerns are also growing. Julie Zargon, a columnist for The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), said in August, "Teenagers and children who consume excessive amounts of short-form content like TikTok or Reels are struggling to engage in activities that do not provide immediate gratification." Michael Mannes, clinical director of the Children's Attention and Learning Center at the Cleveland Clinic in the U.S., pointed out in an interview with WSJ, "If children's brains become accustomed to constant change, they will find it difficult to adapt to non-digital activities that do not move quickly."

Meanwhile, interest in dopamine is expected to continue next year. The book Trend Korea 2024, which predicts future consumer trends, also listed 'dopaming' as one of the top ten consumer trend keywords for next year. 'Dopaming' is a compound word combining 'dopamine' and 'farming' (the act of collecting items in games). It refers to behavior that prioritizes fun above all else. Professor Kim Nando of Seoul National University's Department of Consumer Studies, the author, said, "There has been an increase in stimulating, reckless, and even bizarre acts that trigger dopamine, and many people are seeking them out."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.