from The Telegraph via National Post

Social media kills boredom that may lead to creativity

Scrolling mindlessly through attention-grabbing posts, videos and threads prevents the build-up of ‘profound boredom’ needed to spur people on to new passions or skills, experts warn

Lazy man
PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO

Walter Benjamin, a German philosopher, noted that boredom was the “dream bird that hatches the egg of experience.”

But the creative flights of fancy that often arise from having little to do, are being killed off by social media, researchers believe.

Scrolling mindlessly through attention-grabbing posts, videos and threads prevents the build-up of ‘profound boredom’ needed to spur people on to new passions or skills, experts warn.

Instead, people find themselves in a state of ‘superficial boredom’, which does not spark creative thought.

[ click to continue reading at National Post ]