THE TIME CONSUMER IS OUR LOVER

By Fawunmi Elizabeth

“Just one more episode.”

“Let me scroll for just 30 minutes.”

“I’ll check TikTok before I start reading.”

Thirty minutes becomes an hour. One episode becomes three. A quick look at Instagram turns into an endless scroll, and before we realise it, the time we promised ourselves we would spend studying is gone.

Social media has quietly become one of the biggest consumers of our time. What makes it dangerous is that it rarely feels like we are wasting time. We see it as entertainment, a way to relax, catch up with friends or simply take a break from the pressure of school. But those little moments can gradually become hours.

The issue is not that social media exists or that students use it. The real issue is when we lose control of our attention to it.

Imagine a student who has an assignment due in a few days. They sit down with the intention of working on it, but before they begin, a notification pops up. They check it. One post leads to another, then a video, then another. Eventually, what was supposed to be a short break becomes a significant part of the day.

This is where procrastination begins.

An assignment that was given a month ago may suddenly be rushed a day before submission. Reading that could have been spread across several weeks is left until the examination period. Then, when the examination comes, the questions seem unnecessarily difficult, and the lecturer becomes the easiest person to blame.

The problem could be time management rather than lack of time.

The consequences also extend beyond academics. While we are spending hours scrolling, opportunities may be passing by unnoticed. Someone else is learning a new skill, reading, applying for a programme, building a portfolio or working towards a goal. Meanwhile, we may be consuming content without creating anything meaningful of our own.

This is the irony of social media.

The same phone we use to waste hours can also give us access to lectures, books, scholarships, internships, educational content and opportunities. The same platforms that distract us can also help us learn, network and make our voices heard. The difference is often how intentionally we use them.

Social media was created to connect people, share information, and give individuals a platform. It was supposed to be a medium of visibility and communication. But when we allow it to constantly compete for our attention, it can become a medium through which our time disappears.

Perhaps, then, the question should not only be, “How much time do I spend on social media?”

We should also ask, “What am I losing while I spend that time there?”

Because time lost to social media does not always come with an alarm. Sometimes, it disappears quietly and by the time we notice, we may realise that we were not just scrolling through our screens.

We were scrolling away our time.