The Cognitive Decline from Doom Scrolling
MDFoodieBoyz having a critical discussion on the MDFoodieBoyz Podcast
Last January, we saw the temporary ban of TikTok in America after a six-month-long lawsuit over the Supreme Court’s initial ruling to ban the popular social media app. However, after Donald Trump won the recent election to be our 47th president, he gave TikTok a 75-day reprieve that delayed the ban until April 5th. TikTok has had many positive effects on our community, such as spreading awareness of different issues in our society and promoting small businesses. Many people make a living off TikTok. However, there are also many negative side effects of the app and the rabbit hole of social media as a whole. The term “doom scrolling” refers to the act of spending an excessive amount of time online, continuously scrolling through media without engaging thoughtfully. You become stuck in a cycle of negativity while watching video after video. Many influencers contribute to this issue by putting out brainless content that sucks in viewers.
A good example of this is MDFoodieBoyz, a group of young teenagers making food content and sharing their outrageous and insane hot takes. In one of their recent videos, they state their favorite go-to breakfast foods. One of the kids says his favorite breakfast is Cocoa Puffs, and another says Eggo Waffles. Cocoa Puffs are an extremely processed food with artificial ingredients, preservatives, and other additives. They are high in sugar and unhealthy fats. The same can be said for waffles. Not only do these kids promote foods that are unsafe to consume daily, but they can also lead to overeating and weight gain. In another video, they are sponsored by Taco Bell and try their food for the first time. One of the kids states, “I’ve never tried lettuce before.” Many find it hard to believe that a male of at least 13 years of age has never tasted lettuce, which is commonly used in salads and known as a healthy vegetable. These kids are leaving bad influences on other children watching their videos and people who binge-watch their TikToks. They had the privilege of doing a pizza review with Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports. However, in the video, they are snarky and dislike everything they try. In their comment section, viewers are extremely negative and say harsh things towards the creators. For example, they call the podcast hosts chubby, nerdy, no-name, and other offensive nicknames. They are solely making fun of the creators, and nobody is being positive or relating their comments to the actual video.
I asked classmates about their views on MDFoodieBoyz, and senior Logan Kulwicki ’25 said, “I’ve never seen their videos, but I have friends who consistently talk about their popularity and odd, immature content.” High schoolers are not the main demographic for the Foodie Boyz podcast, but many find it hard to understand how kids find the show entertaining. In some ways, it’s so unbearable that you cannot stop watching. This is a massive problem with our current issue of doom scrolling and excessive social media use, as it figuratively fries your brain.
Many people utilize TikTok and other scrolling social media apps to make a living. Users on TikTok can earn around $0.02 to $0.04 per 1,000 views, not counting brand deals and donations. Every popular influencer you know is on the app, even if they aren’t using it for compensation. They, and most of the app's users, genuinely enjoy watching videos on the popular platform. In 2023, a study confirmed that doom scrolling tends to worsen mental health and decrease overall satisfaction with life. Doom scrolling causes negative thoughts and feelings and can worsen existing depression and anxiety. MDFoodieBoyz and other popular influencers tend to feed bad information and add more fuel to the fire.