Paris Demetriades
Zero posts, zero shares. Zero. According to a New Yorker report that caused a stir, the so-called “posting zero” is a new trend in the global digital universe, linked to users’ reluctance to share snapshots of their personal lives online. The most tantalizing aspect of this phenomenon, according to the American magazine, seems to be that the trend resonates most strongly among digital natives, young people in contemporary societies. In other words, those who were born and raised with smart devices almost as natural extensions of their hands are now the first to apparently turn away from them, at least when it comes to publicly showcasing their private moments.
Obviously, posting zero should not surprise us, nor trigger strong astonishment: In a digital universe where hyper-information has become the norm, where the boundaries between work and leisure have blurred, where everything has been commodified, and where artificial intelligence reigns supreme, it would be paradoxical if such a phenomenon didn’t eventually emerge. Isn’t it inevitable?
The decline in social media use for sharing personal moments has been evident in recent years, as shown by research such as that commissioned by the Financial Times. Studying 250,000 internet users across 50 countries, the study found a drop reaching the admittedly significant figure of 10%. Most of the users choosing to abstain, according to the FT, are young.
In a parallel development, in the spirit of legislation passed in countries such as Australia, which, starting December 10, will take the bold step of completely banning social media for those under 16, the European Parliament last week approved a resolution calling for something very similar: restricting social media access for children under 16 without parental consent.
Another study, this time by the American Psychological Association and also published last week, warns that endless scrolling on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, along with uncontrolled and excessive consumption of short videos, can lead to brain rot. This newly coined term, which was named Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year in 2024, refers to the deterioration of an individual’s mental state due to excessive consumption of trivial digital content. Decreased focus, anxiety, and impaired cognitive function are symptoms of brain rot.
In conclusion, digital exhaustion, which, guess what, now also has an official definition, seems to be the umbrella term encompassing all the madness of our times. Digital burnout, as it’s called in English, describes “emotional, mental, and even physical fatigue resulting from prolonged and excessive use of digital devices, social media, and online platforms.”
We have thus reached the miserable and uninspiring point where, instead of technology making life easier, it exhausts us. Of course, one could argue that this is a matter of choice and proper use of new technologies, but let’s not bury our heads in the sand: The digitization of everyday life is so powerful that healthy personal use requires strong will, media literacy, and a balanced mental state, regardless of the above.
As individual responsibility is vital, so too, and even more so, is the collective dimension. It may sound overwhelming and chaotic, but we must start somewhere. I don’t think we are talking about just one among many challenges of our era: I believe we are talking about the greatest challenge, as digital influence and interaction literally affect everything around us.
