Rethinking Our Cognitive Diet in the Age of AI
Back then, when phone and internet just became a thing, it felt so exciting. So special. So refreshing. It was magical! Like, “wow, you mean I can look up anything I want, talk to someone across the world, or learn how to do something new by watching a video on Youtube?” Then, technology was an empowering addition. It was a tool (though with its danger) used by us humans for our advancement and growth while still helping us live a somewhat balanced life. Technology was merely a snack taken in between our days – it was an icing to the main cake, which was our lives.
Technology as the icing
For example, back in the day when we could only call and snap pictures with our phones. A child departing from her beloved parents or grandparents can stay in touch with them on the phone, but with the burning hunger of returning home as soon as possible to see them after a while. Because even though technology has helped them to stay in touch while away, it cannot replace the need for physical reunion. The holding, touching, hugging, kissing, talking to each other mouth to mouth. Running errands for them or together. Laughing at the silliest things and falling over each other as tears of heavy laughter fill their eyes and the roars of it filled the room. Eating on the same table. Stepping on each other’s toes in the morning and poking each other by the side in the afternoon to reconcile. Then, technology was at the healthy level of complementing our social lives; it was not the main character.
Because technology was merely the icing then, it was a time when human beings still had the privilege of being bored and curious. Alas, this gift of boredom and curiosity kept technologists awake at night – and it got them thinking, “What more can be born out of technology?” The answer to that question has birthed many amazing technological products and has also given us the weak or normal form of AI we now have integrated into almost every aspect of our lives today. While we’re still at the tip of the iceberg of AI’s unimaginable possibilities, the reflective question is: “what is the state of the human social fabric?” Is technology still the icing? Or…
Has Technology Become the Whole Cake?
That sounds like a rhetorical question, but is it really? It’s not as obvious as it should be how what used to merely complement our lives has now taken over them. Before now, we used technology the way we used our calculators; you got what you needed from it and moved on with your day, alongside your fellow humans. It was that balanced until AI came and we lost control. With AI personalization planted to track, study and learn us in order to know what makes us tick. And with the normalization of content monetization, the roles have reversed. We are no longer just the users; we have become the tool, the product.
For example, you might open YouTube to watch one video, and before you know it, the algorithm has lined up five more that might interest you – autoplaying without your say. You didn’t go looking for them; they’re not even from channels you subscribed to. They’re what the algorithm picked for you based on your past or recent digital interactions. I know YouTube might not be the best example because it’s mostly filled with long-form content, and unless it’s something important, our attention spans rarely have space for such anymore. So think of scrolling briefly on TikTok or Instagram instead. You go there to check one thing, and thirty minutes later, you’re still there; taking in endless short clips, sounds, faces, and emotions from people saying whatever comes to their mind, no matter how absurd, in a way that keeps you glued. It might feel like you did, but these are not content you chose and decided to consume; they’re content decided for you by AI. It was at this point that technology stopped being a medium for human connection and became a medium of endless, unhealthy digital consumption.
From Connection to Consumption
The shift from connection to consumption was the whole idea behind the For You page – it was created to gently remove your choices and decide for you. For You feeds are so full that, true to their name, they can never run out of something to feed you. They feeds you anything- outrage, validation, aesthetics, envy, laughter, lies, perverted entertainment, and screwed opinions. You’re taking a bite from all of these with every swipe, scroll, or click. Before your mind is done digesting or storing one piece of content, hundreds more are already lined up, waiting to be consumed by you. But our cognitive system, much like our digestive one, has limits. Yet, our brains are constantly flooded with information, notifications, and emotions; so much that we rarely have quiet moments anymore, yet we’re not getting real depth, rest, or fulfillment from any of it. This is where digital overweight begins
From Digital Overweight to Digital Obesity
You become, metaphorically, Digitally Overweight when the amount of information you take in exceeds what your mind can process. You become mentally heavy. This is the point where you find yourself scrolling more than you should, maybe binge-watch or refreshing feeds often, but you’re still aware of it. You might even joke about needing a break, and sometimes you actually take one. You still have a bit of control.
But when you’re Digitally Obese, it’s different. It’s when your phone or feed has quietly taken charge of your day. You wake up and reach for your phone before your eyes fully open. You scroll through videos while brushing your teeth, while eating, while waiting, even while watching another screen. You don’t go online to look for something anymore – you just open the app and let it decide for you. You start feeling restless when you’re offline, anxious when there’s nothing new to check, and even guilty afterward but still can’t stop.
Offline conversations feel boring without the fast pace of digital noise. Real life starts to move too slowly, and even your thoughts feel shorter; almost like your attention is been re-programmed to refresh itself every few seconds.
At this point. When consumption has become compulsion, and you no longer feed on content but it now feeds on you – that’s digital obesity. It’s the point where the line between choice and craving blurs, and the algorithm quietly takes the wheel. But this is only one part of the story. After this, what happens inside the mind; how our digital metabolism shifts, how young minds adapt or struggle – is where the weight truly begins to show.
This framework - digital overweight and digital obesity - is not just a metaphor but a developing hypothesis. It calls for empirical research to understand how the overconsumption of personalized digital content impacts cognitive health, attention, and emotional regulation, especially among younger users. In other words, it’s a theory in need of testing, and an invitation for deeper inquiry.
