Short Form Video Addiction: How Our Brains Got Stuck on Reels

How short-form video rewires focus — and simple ways to fix it

Remember the good old days?

You’d go to school, come home, sit with your notebook, and actually think. Like… really think. You’d chew on a concept so long your brain practically marinated in it. Later, you could explain it to your cousin, your teacher, your neighbor’s dog whoever was unlucky enough to sit nearby.

Now fast forward to today. Enter: reels, shorts, TikToks, scroll-scroll-scroll. Our poor brain doesn’t even get time to say “wait, let me process that,” before — bam! — the next life-changing 10-second clip hits.

We’ve gone from “let me understand this” to “let me remember what video I just watched 2 seconds ago.” Spoiler: we don’t remember.

Popcorn Brain is Real 🍿

Scientists (and frustrated teachers everywhere) have a name for this: “popcorn brain.”

Our attention span is now officially shorter than a goldfish’s. Yes, you read that right. A goldfish. The same creature that spends its life blowing bubbles in a bowl now out-focuses us humans.

And it’s not just attention span. Studies show bingeing reels and shorts messes with how we store knowledge. Imagine your brain as a flash drive. Instead of organizing files neatly in folders like math, history, poetry it’s just one giant folder called “Random Stuff” where new files keep overriding old ones. Want to recall Newton’s third law? Sorry, overwritten by “10 ways to make Maggi in 2 minutes.”

The YouTube Trap 🎣

Tell me if this sounds familiar:

You have an idea. You open YouTube to learn more. But right there bam! A thumbnail that says “Baby Goat Screams Like a Human.” You click, because obviously you must.

One goat video becomes five, then somehow you’re watching “Top 10 Scariest Roller Coasters in Japan.”

An hour later, you sit there blinking at the screen, asking: “Wait… why did I even come here?”

Your original idea? Long gone. Buried under goats and roller coasters.

Hollow Knowledge = Shallow Conversations 💭

The danger? We end up with hollow knowledge. We can drop fun facts at parties, sure, but when it comes to explaining something deeply, like why democracy matters or how the brain actually works , we’re stuck. Our thoughts skim the surface. No depth, no roots. Just another piece of trivia waiting to be replaced.

Can We Fix This Mess?

Here’s the good news: brains are pretty forgiving. You can still train it back, just like a lazy muscle.

• Go analog sometimes: Read a book. Write notes by hand. Pretend it’s 2005.

• Digital detox: Switch off notifications, uninstall apps for a week, or at least move them off your home screen.

• Deep dive: Pick one topic you actually love and nerd out. Watch long-form lectures. Read essays. Take notes. Let your brain stretch again.

So yeah, reels are fun. But if we keep feeding our brain only 10-second snacks, don’t be surprised if it forgets how to sit down for a proper meal.

Because at this rate, the goldfish is winning. And frankly, that’s embarrassing.

👉 Question for readers: Do you remember the last video you watched on Instagram? No? Exactly my point.