Technology is Saving You From Profound Levels of Boredom, And It is a Problem
According to a new research, the continuous distraction of social networks could prevent our minds from settling into a more profound, more complete feeling of boredom. Which is a shame, given complete boredom can be fertile ground for technology.
This ‘profound’ level of boredom is different to the first, superficial level of tedium we experience when waiting at a bus quit or waiting for a television program to start. Yet this first dip into monotony could be instantly dispelled with a check of Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook, meaning our boredom degrees never progress into a sector of creative thinking.
“Profound boredom might sound like an overwhelmingly negative idea; however, in fact, it can be intensely positive if individuals are given a chance for undistracted thinking and development,” states Dr. Timothy Hill, a sociologist at the College of Bath in the UK.
“We need to recognize that the pandemic was a terrible, damaging, consuming experience for thousands of less fortunate individuals; however, we are all acquainted with the stories of those in lockdown that discovered new pastimes, careers, or directions in life.”
The methodology used in this research
Dr. Hill and also his associates examined the lives of 15 people that were either provided Structured interviews were conducted with the individuals, describing how they invested their time during the pandemic, together with the kind of sensations they experienced. While boredom maintained coming up repeatedly, this was often countered by social networks and so-called doomscrolling.
Those people involved in the research that did experience deeper, profound boredom discovered it brought on sensations of restlessness and emptiness. However, there was likewise a renewed press to fill that emptiness: passions like carpentry, baking, and also cycling were discovered or rediscovered during the pandemic.
The scientists are keen to emphasize that many people do not have the luxury of simply sitting around and not doing anything for extended time periods– which social networks can be crucial in maintaining relationships with friends and family.
Nevertheless, they state there is an important point to make regarding how social networks affect our thinking.
“The issue we observed was that social media can alleviate superficial boredom; however that distraction sucks up time and energy and might prevent individuals progressing to a state of deep boredom, where they might find recent passions,” states Dr. Hill.
The boredom theory
This theory of superficial boredom and profound boredom dates back practically 100 years to a series of lectures by German philosopher Martin Heidegger. Heidegger recommended that boredom is a widely important part of life and one that requires cultivating.
Interestingly, in the decades since, we’ve engineered more and more ways to prevent boredom: our minds can currently be distracted around the clock, thanks to social networks and everything else provided by smartphones, tablets, and computers. You do not really ever have to quit and lose yourself in thought if you do not want to.
Other researches have also recommended that boredom and the connected wandering of a free mind is an essential foundation for creativity, which might be why so many good concepts come to us in the shower. The researchers behind this latest research strategy to dig deeper into the topic.
“This study has given to us a window to understand how the always-on, 24/7 culture and tools that promise an abundance of information and entertainment might be fixing our superficial boredom, however, are actually preventing us from discovering more meaningful things,” states Dr. Hill. “Those that engage in digital detoxes may well be on the right path.”
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