Digital switching

Digital Switching - Skipping segments, fast-forwarding through videos, or turning to other media platforms whenever content starts to be less interesting.
Digital switching is a newly coined term by Tam and Inzlicht
Abstract from article
Key take away: Switching between videos (Study 3) and within video (Study 4), however, led not to less boredom but more boredom; it also reduced satisfaction, reduced attention, and lowered meaning.

Important considerations:

  • This research was done on adults (primarily university-aged folks)
  • This research appears to studying neurotypical people
Excerpt from article
The hypothesis why: Switching disturbs
the content and flow of video(s), heightening boredom. When
participants engaged in digital switching, they were unable to fully
immerse themselves in the current content and make meaning of it,
as evidenced by lower attention and lower meaning in switching
conditions (Studies 3 and 4); disengagement and meaninglessness
thus led to increased feelings of boredom and dissatisfaction

Article:

Tam KYY, Inzlicht M. Fast-forward to boredom: How switching behavior on digital media makes people more bored. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2024 Oct;153(10):2409-2426. doi: 10.1037/xge0001639. Epub 2024 Aug 19. PMID: 39158465.