The Impact of Fast-Paced Online Culture on Your Mental Health
- Jia Fletcher
- Jun 21
- 5 min read
Article written by: Jia Fletcher
Article designed by: Jia Fletcher & Palak Tiwari
In today’s digital world, the craze of social media seems to consume our thoughts. New trends pop up every day, compelling users to buy the latest fashion piece, watch a new movie, or try the next-best restaurant. Skip a day of being online, and suddenly there are new references and trends you feel like you need to catch up on. Likes, followers, posts, and comments flood our notifications, the constant thrill of it taking over our lives and minds.
Sure, maybe social media allows us to discover new things and make connections, but how does this fast-paced online culture negatively impact our mental health? What are the impacts of constantly trying to keep up, hoping that you aren’t left behind with the last trend?
FOMO–Oh No!
Have you ever wanted to be a part of a new trend, feeling like you need to buy those new jeans that everyone else seems to be wearing? If so, you may have FOMO. FOMO is the fear of missing out, and the constant trends that take over your screens only intensify such isolating feelings.
When there is something new and viral online, people are naturally inclined to want to be a part of it. It is in our human nature–we are social animals that just want to make connections. Now pair this feeling of wanting to be included with constant trends. It now seems like we are always trying to go along with what others are doing. This can become overwhelming, causing a lot of people to experience intense FOMO. When we face this, our minds are put under a lot of stress, leading to a decline in our mental health. People who experience FOMO generally feel more isolated, have a lower self-esteem, and face symptoms of mental health issues, like anxiety and depression (health.clevelandclinic.org).
Dopamine From the Screen
Swipe. Click. Post. Comment. All these things you do online seem pretty trivial, right? It takes just a few seconds. However, did you know that everytime you do this on social media, you are altering your brain chemistry? It is not just a click or a like–your brain is literally being rewired every time you use social media, and our fast-paced online culture has only intensified these impacts.
Whenever you see a new trend and partake in it, make a post, like a post, whatever, your brain’s reward center releases dopamine, our “feel-good” chemical associated with pleasure and enjoyment (simplyputpsych.co). As you keep using social media, you build an addiction to this dopamine, since it’s so easy to obtain, and all you need to do is keep scrolling! Now, when trends have become very ephemeral and quick to pass, we constantly change our focus, searching for that dopamine we crave. This only messes with our brains. We are not meant to receive dopamine in such a quick, short-term manner! It’s not good for our brain and mental health.
This addiction is causing us to become heavily dependent on our devices. We are constantly searching for new things in order to accommodate the fast-paced lifestyle we have become dependent on. With this kind of behavior, many mental health problems start arising–most commonly, depression and anxiety. We start seeing our devices as a source of comfort due to the dopamine and instant gratification we get, forming an unhealthy relationship with them that negatively impacts our mental health.
“The smartphone is the modern-day hypodermic needle, delivering digital dopamine 24/7 for a wired generation.” - Anna Lembke (Psychiatrist)
Addiction vs. Attention
Have you made it to this part of the article yet? It may seem surprising, but for most people, this is not an easy task. Our attention spans have been decreasing as years go on, reaching an alarmingly small time.
Social media usage has contributed to the decline in our attention spans. The fast-paced life that comes with social media has caused us to constantly be shifting our focus, leading our brains to lose their ability to pay attention for longer periods of time. Short videos, quick trends, new memes–all of these things have led us to become addicted to such a hurried online culture, even though it hurts us. We start needing constant distractions and interruptions; that may be why you check your phone for notifications every few minutes, or check your email continuously throughout the day. We cannot focus and crave something to distract us! This causes stress and makes a person feel restless, which can spark anxiety. On average, it takes us around 25 minutes to get back on track when we are distracted. As a result, such interruptions just make us feel stressed and unproductive (informatics.uci.edu).
It is not easy to tell someone to just “stop using their devices.” It is addictive, and we feel compelled to want to be a part of something online. Push past that craving for that dopamine, set a screen time limit, stop buying into new trends–do whatever you need to detach from your devices! Now, of course, how do we do that?
As stated earlier, manage your screen time! The recommended screen time varies by age: a maximum of two hours is encouraged for teens and adults, while for infants and children, it’s an hour (this is for recreational screen time with the purpose of enjoyment–think of games and television).
Be mindful of your online activities. What are you liking, posting, and commenting? When you take a step back to really see what you do online, you become more aware of your device’s impact on you, allowing you to better detach from its grasp.
Literally detach yourself from your device. Whether this means putting it in another room or giving it to a family member to keep away from you, physically separating yourself from your device is already a large step in detaching.
Ask for help. If you feel like your device is taking over your life and nothing truly seems to work, don’t be afraid to find someone to help you (this could be a therapist, family member, friend, etc.). It is not a sign of weakness! In fact, being able to recognize that you need help and taking the step to get it is a sign of strength.
Being a part of our fast-paced online culture is not as thrilling as it may seem. The toll that it takes on your mental health outweighs any sort of instant gratification you get from it. To put it simply, it’s not worth it. Be responsible. Be safe. Be aware.
Works Cited
Anne Trafton | MIT News Office. “How Dopamine Drives Brain Activity.” MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Attention & Mental Health - Center for Humane Technology, <www.humanetech.com/attention-mental-health>
“Average Human Attention Span Statistics & Facts [2024].” Samba Recovery, <www.sambarecovery.com/rehab-blog/average-human-attention-span-statistics>
“Fomo Is Real: How the Fear of Missing out Affects Your Health.” Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, 27 June 2024,
Pass, JC. “How the Internet’s Instant Gratification Culture Is Fueling the Mental Health Crisis.” Simply Put Psych, Simply Put Psych, 15 Apr. 2025, <simplyputpsych.co.uk/global-psych/the-internet-instant-gratification-and-the-mental-health-crisis-a-global-cultural-shift#google_vignette.>
“Regaining Focus in a World of Digital Distractions.” Informatics @ the University of California, Irvine, <www.informatics.uci.edu/regaining-focus-in-a-world-of-digital-distractions/>
Theihbamboo, and Theihbamboo. “Fomo vs. Friendships: Social Media’s Paradox.” The Bamboo, 29 Oct. 2024, <thebamboo.immaculateheart.org/2024/09/29/fomo-vs-friendships-social-medias-paradox/.>
Comments