All In The Mind Brain Rot: Is your phone destroying your attention span?
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Sep 13, 2025 Mark Williams, a cognitive neuroscientist and professor at Macquarie University, dives into the effects of smartphones on our attention spans. He explores whether 'brain rot' is a real phenomenon or merely a moral panic. The discussion covers how social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram impact concentration, leading to a 'goldfish brain' effect. Williams also highlights the cognitive consequences of disordered screen use and emphasizes the necessity of maintaining core human skills in our tech-driven future.
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Creator Burnout On Endless Scroll
- Anna Seirian posted 1–3 TikTok videos daily and hit up to 10 hours screen time during COVID.
- She felt creativity fade and noticed the behaviour felt like addiction until she deleted apps.
Two Systems Of Attention
- Attention splits into internal (voluntary) and external (involuntary) systems driven by different brain areas.
- Notifications exploit sound, movement and colour to hijack low-level attention and force costly refocusing.
Buzzes Break Brain Flow
- EEG shows relaxed, focused alpha waves disappear the moment a phone buzzes or dings.
- The buzzer triggers other frequencies linked to stress, proving interruptions change brain state instantly.