What is digital burnout? what are the symptoms of digital burnout?
Here are just a few symptoms: feeling drained after scrolling through your feeds; your mood deteriorates after an hour on social media; feeling anxious, inadequate, or exhausted after social media contact.
Digital burnout isn’t just about feeling tired after a long day online; it is a state of mental, emotional, and even physical depletion caused by overexposure to the digital space.
If you do feel like those symptoms, have you noticed something strange? That you continue even when it makes you feel bad? If so, that is a symptom of addiction, too.
Whether a person is experiencing social media burnout or social media, addiction, as well, there are always motives driving and perpetuating such harmful behaviour. What are those motives?
More and more people feel the need to be constantly connected. With that upside comes two mentally dangerous downsides: being subjected to the algorithms designed by those who want to make money from your viewing, and the desire for online validation.
You might have noticed the negative consequences from your own irritability, difficulty concentrating, or having a never-ending nagging sense that you’re falling behind, or missing out, despite being “connected” all day. One the markers of digital burnout and addiction is if you check your phone compulsively, even when you are sure there is nothing new to see.
When people move in to that addicted and dysfunctional mindset, their chances of developing anxiety and depression are increased, according to recent research. Adults spending more than three hours daily on social platforms reported a 30% higher incidence of stress-related symptoms.
Does that sound familiar? If you’re nodding, yes, you are far from being alone. The constant ping of notifications, the pressure to respond instantly, and the endless parade of perfectly presented lives take its toll on you. And it is no accident.
How social media algorithms harm you
Social media platforms are designed to keep you engaged, and the people who design the algorithms are, to express it harshly, your puppet masters. They have created sophisticated systems to analyse your clicks, likes, and viewing or dwell time.
Why do they do that? To learn how to catch your attention.
Why do they want your attention? Your attention turns into their advertising revenue.
That modern cliché applies: if something is free, you are the product. In this case, your attention on adverts means payment for your algo-puppet masters.
Yes, your attention gives them a wealthy living. If that strikes you as Machiavellian, wait until you hear this: behaviour scientists (who may have sold their souls), are paid to get your attention and keep it, and, if that turns you into an addict, or damages your mental health, so be it.
They exploit psychological principles and research to get you, and keep you hooked.
For instance, they will use techniques such as variable reward schedules, in the same way as those methods are used in the most addictive forms of gambling. When rewards are provided, whether emotional, psychological, sexual or financial, people keep coming back and keep generating advertising revenue for the algo-manipulators.
They know that everyone of your “likes” or comments triggers a brief dopamine hit, leaving you craving more.
Social media platforms deliberately use algorithms to amplify the content that they know you will find emotionally charging.
Why? Because emotions drive engagement, and engagement drives their advertising revenue, at the expense of your mental health.
When you are deluged by polarising and extremist posts, aspirational images, and fear-inducing news, your anxiety is increased and your self-esteem is lowered.
Gradually, a toxic habit is formed by way of a dangerous feedback loop: you seek validation to feel better, while the algorithms keep you on edge, never fully satisfied, craving more.
Longer-term, what impact can that have on you?
Chronic stress, reduced focus, and a sense of disconnection from your real-world life and priorities. It might not be a coincidence that mental illness rates have been increasing at an alarming rate since the invention of the internet and social media. Being connected comes with an unintended cost.
What does it cost us to maintain our online selves?
Crafting our digital persona, whether that is us as the witty professional on one media platform, or the polished influencer on another, requires time and effort. We create posts, edit and filter photos, and ask people to provide ‘likes,’ or ‘reposts,’ all of which are aimed at projecting the idealised version of ourselves. Almost everyone does it. Me included.
Our social media positioning comes at a heavy cost: cognitive dissonance. The gap between our real self and our online image creates internal tension, especially when validation from likes, reposts, and comments, becomes the dominant measure of our worth.
Our pursuit of validation, our need for social approval, is evolutionarily hardwired from the countless generations of our tribal ancestors, whose survival depended on acceptance by the group.
Unlike face-to-face interactions, online validation is fleeting and often highly superficial. Another recent study linked heavy social media use to lower self-esteem, particularly among young adults who compare themselves to photoshopped profiles.
The effort to maintain an online persona by constantly posting, responding, and monitoring feedback, drains our mental energy, leaving us “algorithmically captured” feeling empty, needy and unfulfilled.
If you are an algo-slave, if you are a digital hostage to advertising revenue, then perhaps it time to either plan your escape, or consider setting boundaries.
Establishing healthy digital boundaries
How can you stay connected without becoming an algo-slave, without losing yourself?
Set boundaries that protect your mental health while still allowing meaningful connections.
Here are some practical tips, grounded in self-responsibility and psychological resilience:
- Limit your time. Create set windows for social media, such as 30 minutes in the morning and another 30 in the evening. If needed, use apps to help you stick to these limits.
- Check your purpose. Before logging in, ask yourself why you are online. Is it to connect with friends, or are you just scrolling without intent? Purposeful engagement reduces fatigue and anxiety.
- Curate your feed. Stop following accounts that spark anxiety or feelings of inadequacy. Replace them with content that inspires or educates. Remember, the people you surround yourself with online shape your behaviour; choose digital role models that help you grow.
- Strengthen real-life connections. Schedule regular face-to-face meetups or voice calls with people you admire and respect. A simple chat in person or over the phone provides far deeper connection than a string of online comments.
Setting boundaries is ultimately about keeping control of social media, rather than letting it control you.
The benefits of a digital detox
What could a digital detox do for your mind?
A digital detox doesn’t mean going off-grid forever; it’s about creating some space to reconnect with you.
Some research has found that reducing screen time for just one week can lower the level of stress hormones in your body, and, improve sleep quality. Participants in a 2024 experiment who limited social media to one hour daily reported a 25% reduction in anxiety symptoms.
Without the constant noise of notifications, you can reflect on, and enjoy what truly matters: your goals, your loved ones, your relationships, your passions, your hobbies.
A digital detox empowers you to choose how technology fits into your life, not the other way around. It is an act of self-responsibility for your digital wellbeing.
Taking self-responsibility for our well-being is, I believe, the strongest predictor of resilience. Over time, practising digital self-responsibility reduces dependence on external validation, strengthens coping skills, and enhances overall well-being.
Practical steps to take control of your screen time
Here’s a framework, drawn from my 5Cs approach to leadership and performance, adapted for digital well-being:
- Create. Design a personalised screen-time plan. Decide which platforms add value and which drain you.
- Communicate. Be transparent with your social circle about your boundaries. Let them know you’re prioritising quality interactions.
- Coach. Check in with yourself weekly. Are your digital habits aligning with your goals? Gently hold yourself to account. Adjust as needed.
- Consult. Seek advice from others who have mastered digital balance. Their success can guide you.
- Contingency. Plan for slip-ups. If you fall back into old habits, reflect on why and tweak your approach.
In my field, performance coaching, it has long been known that people who take immediate positive action on their constructive intentions are enormously more likely to succeed. Not just in that area of life, in all areas of life. People who succeed have developed the habit of taking immediate action
What small immediate step can you take, right now?
Here is one: simply turning off notifications for an hour, can mark a significant change. Doing so says to yourself: I control my access to social media; it does NOT control me.
After the first step you can choose more from the above to protect your mental health.
The designers of social media algorithms seek to exploit your psychology for their own gain. You don’t have to be their algo-slave. You have the power to set boundaries, take periodic detoxes, and prioritise real-world connections.
If you do, you will have a mind that is clearer, more focused, and free to engage with life, on your terms.
The tools to overcome digital burnout or social media addiction are yours; use them to reclaim your life, and your mental energy.
Professor Nigel MacLennan runs the performance coaching practice PsyPerform.
