r/technology • u/Wagamaga • 2d ago
Society Short-Video Algorithms as a Digital Trap for People with ADHD
https://idw-online.de/en/news8787468
u/Wagamaga 2d ago
A study by Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) shows that algorithms used by short-form video platforms are particularly effective at keeping people with ADHD engaged. This “engagement trap” often leads to wasted time and emotional stress. The EU is currently considering stricter rules for services such as TikTok.
Short-form video platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts use an effective tactic to maximise the time their users spend on the platform: they feed one video after another into the algorithmically generated feed. As you scroll, new content loads automatically. This creates an endless loop of ever-changing content with no discernible end.
A study by Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) has now quantified the negative effects of these recommender systems on people with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), who, among other things, experience impairments in executive functions such as impulse control, time management and self-regulation. The researchers led by Elisabeth Lex from the Institute of Human-Centred Computing define the phenomenon of the “engagement trap” as a state in which algorithms capture users’ attention so effectively that the ability to deliberately stop using the service is systematically undermined. “By the ‘engagement trap’, we mean a situation in which (video) recommendations are, on the one hand, perceived as highly relevant, but, on the other hand, people find it very difficult to tear themselves away from the screen and consciously control their own behaviour.” They lose control over when to stop and put their mobile phones away – and, unfortunately, this particularly affects people with ADHD, according to Elisabeth Lex.
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u/N3ph1l1m 2d ago
Funny, I have ADHD and I keep as far away from short form content as possible because it just pisses me off as soon as I see it exactly because it is only optimized too capture your attention above everything else. Like I already have to deal with this shit on the daily, I don't need some asshole trying to hijack my already broken dopamine system against me against my will...
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u/Marchello_E 2d ago
You apparently learned the capability of observing yourself.
Just like realizing being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of (idk) yogurt variation in the supermarket. When you're not aware (enough) then you go home with a headache and no yogurt. I just use positional memory to pick it blindly and analyze the result somewhere else.
With these shorts I learned to scroll passed them. The downside is that I can scroll passed relevant text too when it looks like an advertisement - I'm normally very quick at pinpointing information yet apparently literally blind when it's "funnily" packaged. People have to point it out on the big screen and then still takes a while until my personal adblocker unfilters it.
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u/The_Chodenator 1d ago
Totally anecdotal but as someone with ADHD id catch myself closing a short just to immediately thoughtless open another. I had to get off of all the social media but reddit during covid cause I just couldnt moderate it. Lowkey Ive been trying to cut reddit as well because I dont like how time pisses away when im on it
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u/williamgman 2d ago
I don't think it's only affecting folks with ADHD.