Zombie Scrolling or Doomscrolling: Who Will You Be 30,000 Hours From Today?

"The same person who could be building an empire is losing to a 6.3 inch screen."

"Zombie scrolling" is being on the internet with no specific intent. Simply stated, this is to insinuate the relative impact of "wasting time" perusing the internet. While one person is busy building their wealth, business, knowledge, or "empire," another could easily be watching Mukbang or ASMR videos all day on TikTok. Not to say that it is highly entertaining to watch a petite lady eat entire gallons of ramen, or to watch a pretty pair of 3-inch glittery pink acrylic nails squish colorful slime all day. Competitive eating has been around for decades, and I myself love listening to nails tapping on a keyboard. 

But, what exactly are we spending our precious time on? Is there a limit to how much we should let our children scroll? These are not new questions. Parents and educators have been on this topic since television screens became available to the public nearly 90 years ago. By the 1950's, screens were in every household. 

Today, nearly 60% of the global population, or 4.8 billion people - own a smartphone. By 2029, this number is expected to increase to 6.3 billion. 

Albeit, there are tons of "healthy" ways to use the internet. Learning platforms like Duolingo teach new languages. Chess games online help motor skills and implement strategy in the brain. Khan Academy helps kids immensely when it comes to math skills. Coursera and Udemy assists in completing college courses for those who attend higher education online. TikTok and Instagram are not so bad, either, depending on how they are used. The pages we "follow" and the information we take in all constructs to what we have learned at the end of the day. In essence, who we become. 

By spending hours scrolling nature facts, gardening, or sewing, one could have developed a significant green thumb or sewn a beautiful quilt. Watching athletes or martial arts online can definitely give a player tips and tricks to succeed next time they play a match. I may as well have gotten a Cosmetology degree with all of the hair, skin, and nail techniques that I learned on YouTube. And yes, I am pretty good at doing my own acrylic nails, highlighting my own hair, and waxing my own moustache, all at home. I've saved thousands of dollars throughout the years, being my own esthetician. 

"Teenagers today will have spent 30,000 hours scrolling their smartphones by the time they are 30-years-old."

This alarming statistic was mentioned in the last meeting I had with fellow high school teaching colleagues. 30,000 hours is more than enough time to learn a new instrument, pick up on a new language, hone your world culture skills, or even start a business. In fact, one may be able to learn all of those things in that large amount of time. 

As every teacher is concerned with the well-being of their students, the issue of smartphones being in the hands of nearly every teenager is (and adults for that matter) is not to be taken for granted. 

There is no "perfect" way to scroll. In fact, it is healthy to take brain breaks and zone out to deplete stress. However, I have known friends that end up losing years of precious life to their video games, with Onyx on Halo being the only remnant of success to show... 

I think back to my teenage days, which were not so different. Summer and afterschool hours would be spent watching television, MTV, talk shows, playing Sega Genesis, or spending days on Rollercoaster Tycoon on the family computer. 

In hindsight, the benefits I acquired include the exquisite knowledge of 90's punk and R&B bands, a memory bank of music videos, and the innate ability to know how to build an amusement park online. Not much that could serve me today, except that I am killing it at Karaoke night.