1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Isaiah 26:3 states:
3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
Are you familiar with the practice of "doomscrolling?" Have you ever heard the term? You may have participated in it unwittingly.
A Movieguide article relates:
"This behavior, where users rapidly flip between videos or skip over parts of them in search of something more exciting, is fairly counterproductive. Instead of curing boredom, digital switching can intensify it,” Relevant reported Aug. 19.
This behavior of endlessly switching through pictures or videos is recently referred to as “doomscrolling.” It’s named that because the activity is almost never-ending, as in one scrolls until their doom, semi-seriously.
The article goes on to say, regarding a recent study on Internet usage:
The study had 1,200 undergraduate participants from the University of Toronto and U.S. colleges.
It suggests that the endless amount and variety of videos available makes attention “fragmented.” This experience makes it difficult to pay attention, and the result leaves a feeling of boredom.
In one experiment in the study, participants watched a 10-minute video and were not given the option to skip through it or cut to another video. Afterward, they were allowed to freely switch through five seven-minute videos within a 10-minute time frame. The majority reported that they felt less bored and more satisfied when they watched the first video fully than when they were allowed to skip other videos.
The Movieguide article linked to a story at app.com, which reported that the study was conducted by the American Psychological Association. Both articles quoted from Katy Tam, whom app.com describes as the "lead study author and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto." She is quoted as saying: “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..." She adds, "Digital switching may make the content of online videos seem meaningless because people don’t have time to engage with or understand the content..."
The article goes on to say:
Previous studies had already shown that using a smartphone increases boredom in users. Now, this study suggest that digital video switching may be a related source for the boredom associated with smartphone use, the study says.
Digital video switching could have negative mental health effects. As Tam noted, chronic boredom is linked with depressive symptoms, anxiety, sadistic aggression and risk-taking behavior.
It does seem a bit counterintuitive. The search for information without staying fixed on one particular unit, instead of making someone feel entertained, actually makes him or her feel bored. For instance, participants watched a 10-minute YouTube video, then followed it by watching seven five-minute videos within a 10-minute period. Boredom was greater after watching the shorter segments. Same phenomenon when someone would fast-forward through a 50-minute video in a 10-minute period.
We're reminded that we live in a digital age, and the abundance of information can actually be counterproductive. Rather than be engaged in what is called "doomscrolling," we can, as Hebrews 12 suggests, be "looking unto Jesus." I would dare say that scrolling around the Internet does not reflect the peace of God. And, there could be implications for our mental acuity and even overall mental health. We engage in seeking, yet perhaps we are not finding - in Jesus, we can seek and find the treasures He has in store for us.
We have to carefully train our minds to think on Biblical truth and to concentrate on what the Spirit of God would want to teach us. In publishing and media, we do play to a crowd that has short attention spans. But, when we are in the presence of Almighty God, we can make sure that our prayers are focused, our time in the Word is strategic, and that we take steps to experience the renewing of our minds, which Romans 12 says transforms us. Enough of the quest for bits and bytes of information that do not satisfy; we can be devoted to seeking for and listening to the voice of the Spirit.
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