When algorithms choose instead of you
The "Matrix" can be simply understood as a paradox when users think they are free to choose content, but the longer they watch, the more the system understands them and the more likely it is to choose content for them. The algorithm silently records what users like, what they are curious about, where they usually stop, and even how they react to shocking, angry or emotional content. From those traces, it continues to lead to content that can retain them.
This mechanism is particularly effective because users do not know what the next video will be. The first video may be normal, the second video is quite attractive, the third video is shocking. Then inserting a bad video is not a problem, because just by swiping it, a new content appears. Users think they are consuming content. But from another perspective, they are also constantly providing data for the machine to understand and hold on.
Immediate damage and silent erosion
Short videos themselves are not harmful. They can provide knowledge, promote culture, support education, help young people be creative, do business and connect with the community. The problem lies in the content produced, distributed and consumed, especially when viewing shifts from a deliberate choice to an uncontrollable reflex. The appearance of too many short videos by online "gangsters" is really alarming because most of them only repeat useless and harmful content, cursing, drinking, challenging public opinion...
Some people watch it out of curiosity, sometimes after watching it they feel uncomfortable, but the algorithm does not determine what love and hate are, but only purely the number of viewers. The obvious consequences for people who watch short videos too much are late bed, eye strain, lack of exercise, neck and shoulder pain, reduced time of direct communication and reduced effectiveness in studying and work.
But what is more worrying is what is silently lost is the ability to concentrate for a long time, patience with activities that do not bring immediate results, and the ability to endure boredom. Reading a book, watching a movie, listening to a person talk takes a lot of time, sometimes even patience. Meanwhile, short videos only need a few dozen seconds to create a new stimulus. When the mind is used to that pace, slower activities are easily felt as "boring".
It is worth mentioning that it is not necessarily that a person spends two hours watching a short video, but then nothing memorable remains in their head.
The battle for every second of attention
A generation is growing up in an environment where attention becomes a resource for platforms to compete. Previously, television competed for human time. Journalism competed for attention. The Internet continued that competition. Today, increasingly sophisticated algorithms are trying to keep every second of each individual's attention.
Young people are particularly easily drawn into this loop because their ability to self-control and form habits is still developing. And they can start measuring themselves with the world on the screen to see if they are beautiful enough, successful enough, loved by many people, and if their lives are as interesting as others?
Therefore, the short video story is not just a story about phone usage time. It is also a story about psychology, concentration, how people form self-awareness and how a generation learns to live in the digital world.
Reclaiming initiative
Escaping the "matrix" does not mean boycotting technology. It is essential to regain the right to decide how to use technology. For each individual, it is possible to start with very simple things such as limiting the time spent using short video applications, actively creating screen-free moments, and retraining concentration by reading books, sports, or activities that require patience.
For families, instead of just prohibiting, it is necessary to help children understand how the algorithm works, why a video is brought to their eyes and why the more they watch, the more the system understands them. At a broader level, platforms need to be more transparent about the mechanism of proposing content; society and management agencies also need to control mechanisms that are likely to drag users into the loop of overuse, especially adolescents. Finally, this battle is not a battle against short videos, but protects people's right to choose.
