Baby steps towards digital detox

IT was obviously a hoax but even so, a recent social media post has got a lot of Malaysians excited.

An Instagram account with the handle nobleman**** (since taken down) posted a reel about a contest where participants who stayed in an isolated cabin (no details of the location) for 60 days would stand to win US$2mil (RM8.5mil).

There was a catch though. Even though the cabin would be fully stocked with essentials, the contestant would have absolutely no Internet connection, so their phone would not work for 60 days. Instead, contestants would be encouraged to read a selection of books from a well-stocked library.

This clickbait post received tens of thousands of enquiries and was shared as many times as possible. Even though a cursory check will show you that no such contest exists, I would like to think of this as a social experiment.

Why were so many of us taken in by the contest? Gullibility for sure, but I also believe that the idea of a digital detox for 60 days is achievable for a lot of people, especially if there is a huge pot of cash at the end of the two-month “fast”.

Even as we are hooked on autoplay and the non-stop scrolling of reels, we yearn for the time when we can slow down and appreciate life. Millennials and Gen Zs will not appreciate this but for Gen-Xers like me, we know the “before smartphone” period was all too real.

Short video addiction (SVA) is a global issue, and Malaysia is no exception.

If, like me, you find yourself humming Dame Un Grrr or Pretty Little Baby as you go about your daily chores, you could very well have a mild case of SVA.

Both songs are currently trending on TikTok and other social media sites that host reels or short videos.

There are a number of free tests available to gauge the degree of your addiction. I tried two types of questionnaires, and both showed a mild level of SVA.

I estimate my time spent on Instagram reels to be 30 minutes in total throughout the day which does not appear to be much, but a recent exposé in The Star has given me cause for concern.

Tech experts explained that social media platforms use variable reward schedules and features like autoplay and infinite scroll to hook users, exploiting our brain’s craving for novelty and surprise.

For example, apps like TikTok use autoplay, infinite scroll and high-speed content to trigger dopamine responses. It is a form of neuromarketing that hijacks the brain’s reward system.

According to AI Society president Dr Azree Shahrel Ahmad Nazri, short videos that are designed to grab attention within the first three seconds, such as dance clips or pranks, are more likely to be promoted.

“These micro-rewards train users to crave fast, high-stimulation content, making it harder to disconnect,” he said.

A 2022 study titled “Addiction on TikTok among Young Adults in Malaysia” found that social, family and lifestyle factors explained 63.4% of addiction levels to short-form video apps.

Another study in the same year revealed that 48% of medical students at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia were excessive smartphone users, with links to anxiety and reduced quality of life.

Last year, a research paper by Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman found that 34% of respondents aged 16-30 spent over eight hours on screens daily, while 32% used them for five to six hours and 22% for seven to eight hours.

These numbers are alarming to say the least, but what is even more worrying is that many children aged below seven are already showing signs such as short attention spans, avoidance of physical activities and limited soft skills.

Child expert Syaza Soraya Sauli of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia says that these children complain about hand pain when writing and give up on colouring quickly, yet they can sit through hours of short videos.

Another expert, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak’s senior lecturer Dr Chuah Kee Man, has called for smarter safeguards – systems that can detect mindless scrolling patterns and offer timely, gentle nudges to disengage.

“Maybe it’s time we treat social media algorithms like we treat cars or medicine – with safety standards and independent audits,” he told The Star.

I could not agree more. And as with any type of addiction – cigarettes, alcohol, drugs – the first step starts with realising that you do have an addiction.

You do not need an intervention to make the change. And you certainly do not need to lock yourself in an isolated cabin without Internet connection.

Personally, I have started to reduce my screentime. It is not a complete digital detox, but I hope to start reading books more (the physical type and not online versions like Kindle).

Baby steps for sure, but the added benefit is that less screen time is also easier on the wallet. Because the more you scroll, the more you are bombarded by online shopping platforms. And half the time, you end up buying useless items.