The Boooring Affliction of Sameness

"The problem we observed was that social media can alleviate superficial boredom but that distraction sucks up time and energy and may prevent people progressing to a state of profound boredom, where they might discover new passions."

"This research has given us a window to understand how the 'always-on', 24/7 culture and devices that promise an abundance of information and entertainment may be fixing our superficial boredom but are actually preventing us from finding more meaningful things."

"Profound boredom may sound like an overwhelmingly negative concept but, in fact, it can be intensely positive if people are given the chance for undistracted thinking and development."

Dr. Timothy Hill, associate professor, management marketing, business and society, Bath, U.K.

 

"I felt empty, an emptiness that was difficult to escape from. The longer I was bored, the worse I felt about myself.":

"But one positive thing is that it made me take on new things to escape that empty feeling."

Richard, study participant

(Mindful Media/Getty Images)

Social media researchers are turning to a shared theory of boredom being a psychological spur to turning people toward exploring means by which they can enrich their experiences to stave off boredom. And, they contend, it takes extreme levels of boredom to propel people in the direction of taking steps to relieve that deep sense of monotony. If they seek instead minor or surface distractions, they may still harbour a level of boredom, but of insufficient depth to convince them they should be looking for ways to alleviate the discomfort.

 

Mindless scrolling on social media, viewing videos to briefly instill a sense of interest, following threads, all have a way of preventing "profound boredom" from being mounted, leaving the time-spendthrift feeling only minimally to marginally bored, a condition that while irritating, appears manageable by searching out other, similarly mindless pursuits, unsatisfying in their outcome but preventing the buildup of acute boredom with its potential to trigger a search for meaningful pursuits.

 

Creative thought is not conducive through 'superficial boredom', warn experts. Fifteen people were interviewed by researchers at the University of Bath during the pandemic, a time they would be likelier to be bored -- when normal life became straitened as a result of restrictions imposed to protect people from runaway infection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. 

The interview subjects described feeling trapped in a monotony of daily walks, watching television broken only by supermarket shopping. To pass the time people turned increasingly to the distractions inherent in social media. Despite social media providing temporary escape from superficial boredom, participants reported it also seemed to exacerbate boredom. They were left feeling their time had been wasted.

 

People peruse smartphones and tablets at the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue in New York City

Jose Antonio Maciel/Moment Editorial/Getty Images

 

German ph8ilosopher Martin Heidegger identified the two levels of boredom; superficial and profound; the former as being the most common form of boredom; the feeling people are infused with when awaiting something expected has been delayed. During such times people automatically seek out temporary distractions, most frequently turning to cellphones and social media. A trait that prevents the state of profound boredom being reached.

Profound boredom is considered a level of malaise, its importance as an impetus in the creation of an "existential discomfort", challenging the sense of self, to ultimately convince people to exert themselves to improve the situation they find themselves in. Study interviewees reported that they were led to question their purpose and life choices when they fell into profound boredom. Leading them to explore new interests as an escape from that void.

Professor Hill spoke of a "digital detox", helpful to people when they switch off devices, enabling them to reach the state of required tedium to push themselves on to new interests or achievements. The study was published in the journal Marketing Theory, by researchers from the University of Bath and Trinity College Dublin. Dr. Hill was the lead investigator.

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