Scrolling on social media is actually useful when you just want to pass the time

I think social media scrolling gets way too much criticism for something that is just a way to pass the time in certain situations.

For example, say you're traveling solo and you're at your gate waiting to board your flight. You're stuck in one place for a few hours and don't have any friends or family to chat with. What's wrong with just scrolling through Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts etc?

The same goes for commuting to and from work on public transit. If you're sitting on a train or bus for an hour maybe more, you're not exactly missing out on some amazing opportunity to go do something else. Why not spend that time scrolling if that's what you feel like doing?

I understand scrolling is harmful when it's getting in the way of studying, sleeping, exercising, or going out with friends or spending time with family. But it seems like people believe that any time spent scrolling is wasted time, and I think it's more nuanced than that. Sometimes you don't want to be productive. Sometimes you just want to sit there and be entertained for a while. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

If I'm waiting for a flight, riding a train, or sitting around with nothing else to do, I'd rather scroll through social media than just stare at the wall (or raw dogging as it's sometimes referred to). And I don't think I should have to justify that by pretending I'm learning something or doing something productive.

So yeah, obviously doomscrolling can be a problem when it interferes with your life. But if you're just using it to pass the time while you're already stuck somewhere, I don't see why it's such a big deal.