Infoxication: The impact of social media overload on the brain

The term ‘infoxication’, or information intoxication, describes the mental exhaustion caused when the volume of news, social media, and notifications exceeds the brain's capacity to process it. Coined by Spanish sociologist Alfons Cornellà, the concept addresses the phenomenon of mindless scrolling and the cognitive fatigue associated with constant digital consumption.

Research highlights the prevalence of this issue, with data from the International Data Corporation indicating that most individuals check their smartphones within fifteen minutes of waking. This shift represents a significant change from previous decades when information consumption was primarily limited to books, local newspapers, and scheduled television broadcasts.