'I ignored this "normal" habit for years. But now I'm finally paying the price.'

Years ago, a university professor told me that Justin Bieber's Never Say Never movie was less impactful than the television I watched it on. I almost dropped out in protest.

OK fine, I'm butchering his actual (much smarter) argument, which was that the way we consume content says more about us than the content itself.

And he was right.

Let's use my TikTok account as an example. Sure, videos of tiny food being cooked in tiny kitchens bring me joy. But if you put me in front of an hour-long, unedited, video of a tiny kitchen, I wouldn't watch it.

Why? Because, thanks to TikTok, the way I digest content has been rewired.

Unlike my high-school days, where I would watch YouTube Vlogs back-to-back, I now favour short videos, infinite scrolling, and a double-speed option. In other words, my attention span is ruined and I crave immediate gratification.

It's the same with streaming sites. These days, it's rare that I have to wait a week for an episode of a show to drop; I can just binge the whole season in one go. Another example is food delivery services; I can get a takeaway without having to leave the comfort of my house.

Thanks to technology, everything is at my fingertips, and my life is defined by convenience: the convenience of speeding up videos; the convenience of on-demand shows: the convenience of food dropped to my door.

It's a privileged position to be in.

And it's one that leaves me with a worrying question … Is the convenience of technology making me lose my capacity for discomfort?

I knew there was only one person to ask … a university professor (and no, not the one who dissed Justin Bieber).

Watch: How to create a 'dumb phone' mode on your iPhone. Post continues after video.

'That is identifiably a problem.'

Digital Communication PhD researcher at the University of Sydney, Dr Timothy Koskie, explained our pursuit of convenience is fundamentally about resource management and the trade-offs we're willing to make.

"When we talk about issues of convenience, we're often talking about a kind of efficiency," Koskie told Mamamia.

"Time is a resource that we have a limited amount of. So when people are turning to these tools, it's often as a way to free up resources in other parts of their lives, ostensibly.

"Sometimes it's not about being fast or about being low effort, but there are other things that you're bypassing as a way of getting that convenience."

Whether this is a "problem", he said, "comes down to the individual and how important efficiency is for you".

Listen: Explores the rise of TherapyTok (and how to find genuine help). Post continues below.

But, there is "another layer" that complicates things; oftentimes, we are engaging in technological convenience without even realising. 

"These organisations, the platform owners, are using algorithmic ways of sorting content to keep people there, for lack of a better phrase, against their will," Koskie explained. "That is identifiably a problem."

Last week, I spent a total of 43 hours and 13 minutes on my phone, with 23 hours and 22 minutes of that on social media.

If I keep following that pattern, based on my age and predicted life expectancy, that is 14.6 years of my life I will spend on my device.

If you're judging me (don't worry, I am too), just know that those figures are below the average Australian, who will spend nearly 17 years of their life on their phone (about one third of a typical lifetime).

And look, it's not as if we want to be glued to our screens.

"If you go up to a person and say, 'Hey, do you want to spend 3.8 hours on TikTok today?' I think a lot of the time they'll say 'No'," Koskie said.

"The organisations have a position that, 'You wouldn't have clicked on it if you didn't like it', but we know people can be manipulated."

It's true. Remember how I said I love TikTok's endless feed?

That is a classic example of how the platform is manipulating me to keep watching. I tell myself, 'just one more short video' over and over again until I am still scrolling at 3am. It's like a slot machine; even if I get a string of bad content, I know there will be one coming up that hits perfectly.

So, I keep gambling.

This is where we have to "divide between the very human desire to bypass things and that manipulation," according to Koskie.

But how do we do that? Well, it starts with distinguishing between "active" and "passive" use of technology. 

"Basically, what they boil down to is whether you are leading the charge on what's coming down the pipeline or just being exposed to a bunch of content on autoplay," Koskie said.

The latter, aka "passive use", is what we should try to avoid.

"This could mean that you're maybe careful with who you follow, 'curating' your feed to avoid jerks and veering towards some better folks," Koskie said.

"It could also mean that you're setting yourself some pretty strict limits where you say 'I will only do this for 15 minutes' — though it is extremely hard to actually abide by these limits, even with the range of apps that aim to help you crack down on it."

It's all about maintaining "agency" in how we use technology and social media.

"Think about… did you mean to do that? Did you go much longer than you wanted to, looking at stuff you didn't really want to look at? Has this caused you harm by putting off your work or other concerns? Did you get caught in a cycle of 'doomscrolling'?"

Because when we are passive, we can end up in a "blind and empty pattern of usage and reliance" without thinking critically, or questioning the content we are consuming.

And this can cause issues.

"If a desire for convenience and efficiency is preventing you from checking the outputs and being cautious about taking them on, then you are going to run into some pretty inconvenient and inefficient times," Koskie said.

"If you're not getting what you want out of the experience (while it is simultaneously getting exactly what it wants out of you!), then — without any shame or regret — try to grab the reins and pull yourself in a direction you will better appreciate."

At the end of the day, Koskie encouraged us to "be kind to ourselves" when we use technology.

"There's no shame in trying to avoid discomfort. If your tongue tells you something is gross, it's not lazy to say 'I think that might literally be poisonous, and I'm not going to eat it'," he said.

"Do not adopt this frame of self-shaming because of purportedly 'bad' media habits. If you are turning to something for convenience and efficiency or just for entertainment, none of these things are morally wrong or unjustifiable."

Feature Image: Supplied.