How Social Media Is Crippling Your Creativity, and What to Do About It
The Effects of Brain Fog
First, I’d like to say two things: this is not one of those overly critical “social media is bad” articles. We live in the social media era. In a previous article, I talked about this era’s effect on art itself.
This one centers on its effects on the artist…on us. And it’s profound.
Second, there will be a lot of neurosciency language—but I am by no means a neuroscientist. I try to avoid pop science because pop-science misinformation has literally had catastrophic consequences. So, if you’re an actual neuroscientist, I absolutely welcome corrections. Please join the conversation. But hopefully, the value I can add is my thoughts on what I’ve come across (as factually as possible) in the pursuit of understanding how my creative brain works. And I’m certain that you can relate.
So, let’s get into it. Unchecked social media consumption could be crippling our ability to create and contributing to what feels like chronic brain fog.
This whole journey started after getting fed up with my own mind. When I would sit down to work, it felt as if I first had to cut through a dense jungle with a blunt machete to get to any clear thought. It wasn’t always like that, but it was becoming an increasing pattern.
Not only that, the moment I sat down, the thought of working on whatever I was working on created overwhelming, almost paralyzing apprehension. And as a video editor and writer, that was the worst-case scenario. It starts to have an effect on turnaround, creativity, meeting deadlines, and ultimately morale. It even grew to the point where even thinking about the work kicked me into a well of overwhelming brain fog and a complete degradation of executive function.
It was discouraging. This is the work I want to do. Why does the thought of doing so send me crashing? This was a problem that had to be solved.
So, I started to track my patterns, trace my thoughts, and proceed into self-diagnostics. And I quickly discovered that my issues had a direct link to the consumption of social media. That in itself is a paradox because a lot of my job is social media—for clients and myself. But before we get into solutions to that paradox, let’s talk about what I discovered.
The Problem: “Brain Fog” Although not a scientific term, it’s one that describes a real phenomenon. It describes a collection of cognitive symptoms:
Mental fatigue
Difficulty concentrating
Forgetfulness
Confusion
Slowed thinking or processing
A sense of being “spaced out” or mentally “cloudy”
Essentially, your executive function slips into a disrupted “low power mode.”
Executive function refers to a set of mental skills that are essential for managing oneself and one’s resources to achieve a goal. These skills are primarily coordinated by the prefrontal cortex of the brain and include:
Working memory – holding and manipulating information in mind over short periods
Inhibitory control – the ability to control impulses and resist distractions
Cognitive flexibility – the capacity to switch perspectives or adapt to new tasks or rules
Planning and organization – setting goals, making plans, and carrying them out effectively
Self-monitoring – being aware of and adjusting one’s performance or behavior
What Happens in Brain Fog (in relation to executive function):
Working memory feels unreliable → You may struggle to hold thoughts or follow multi-step tasks.
Inhibitory control weakens → It's harder to filter out distractions or resist procrastination.
Cognitive flexibility drops → Switching tasks or adapting to new information feels overwhelming.
Planning and organization suffer → Simple tasks can feel disorganized or harder to initiate.
Self-monitoring decreases → You might feel “off” but can't quite correct course or focus.
Every single one of these skills is crucial to the process of creativity.
Now, I first have to acknowledge that “brain fog” can be caused by a wide range of factors, including:
Lack of Sleep Poor sleep quality or quantity interferes with brain function and memory consolidation.
Stress & Anxiety Chronic stress elevates cortisol levels, which impairs memory, attention, and executive function.
Poor Diet Nutritional deficiencies (like B12, omega-3s, iron), high sugar intake, or food sensitivities (e.g., gluten in celiac disease) can affect cognition.
Hormonal Changes Menopause, pregnancy, and thyroid dysfunction can all lead to brain fog.
Medications Some drugs (antihistamines, sedatives, antidepressants, chemo agents) have cognitive side effects.
Chronic Illnesses Conditions like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune diseases, and long COVID are often associated with persistent brain fog.
Mental Health Conditions Depression and anxiety frequently come with cognitive slowing or foggy thinking.
Neuroinflammation Some research suggests that inflammation in the brain can disrupt neurotransmitter systems, leading to cognitive symptoms.
If you suspect any of these—obviously, consult the appropriate subject matter expert.
Now again, I'm using the term brain fog, but you won’t find that term in the DSM. Neuroscience and cognitive psychology studies back up the symptoms:
Functional MRI scans show changes in the default mode network and prefrontal cortex activity in people with fatigue and cognitive complaints.
The Default Mode Network (DMN) is a network of brain regions that becomes most active when a person is not focused on the external world—such as during rest, daydreaming, self-reflection, or internal thought.
Key Functions of the DMN:
Mind-wandering and Daydreaming Spontaneous thoughts, imagination, and mental simulations
Autobiographical Memory Recalling past experiences and envisioning the future
Self-referential Processing Thinking about oneself, others' perspectives, and social situations
Conceptual/Abstract Thinking Connecting ideas, generating novel insights, reflecting on meaning
The DMN supports divergent thinking—a key component of creativity. It helps connect seemingly unrelated concepts, often during moments of “creative incubation” (shower thoughts). The interplay between the DMN and the Executive Control Network allows creatives to generate ideas (DMN) and refine or evaluate them (ECN).
The prefrontal cortex is the frontmost part of the brain’s frontal lobe, located just behind the forehead. It is one of the most evolutionarily advanced brain regions and is crucial for complex cognitive behavior, decision-making, and emotional regulation.
In creative work, the prefrontal cortex often interacts with the Default Mode Network (DMN) and salience networks, balancing spontaneous ideation (DMN) with deliberate focus and execution (PFC). This balance is crucial for turning raw inspiration into structured, meaningful output.
There’s the neuroscience—which I find immensely fascinating because of its complexity…so much so that I know better than to assume I fully understand it. But what I’ve come across creates a clear picture. If nothing else, it helps me conceptualize the mechanics.
But how does this relate to social media?
Cognitive Overload Constant scrolling bombards your brain with rapid-fire, fragmented content (videos, captions, opinions, ads). Your mind is constantly shifting gears, which taxes working memory and attention span. We literally make our brains tired.
Dopamine Dysregulation Social media apps are designed to be addictive by hijacking your dopamine system (the brain’s reward pathway). Over time, this can lead to mental fatigue, low motivation, and a dulled response to real-world stimuli. Without constant stimulation, we start to slide into an almost zombie-like existence. And being disconnected from the world cuts us off from inspiration.
Sleep Disruption Exposure to blue light and stimulating content before bed interferes with melatonin production. Poor sleep = poor cognition. Sometimes I think we artists exist in a special state where we somehow pride ourselves on thriving off a lack of sleep. Admittedly and/or, a lot of artists are forced to burn the candle at both ends.
Anxiety & Comparison Seeing highlight reels of others' lives can spark subconscious stress, self-doubt, and low-grade anxiety—all of which cloud your thinking. Overthinking, logjams, and self-doubt can flood you, needlessly, with cortisol.
Reduced Deep Thinking Frequent social media use trains your brain for short bursts of attention, which weakens your ability to sustain focus or engage in deep creative thought. When you’re asked to operate creatively on a high level, short bursts and limited focus aren’t acceptable. Creative stamina separates the creative athletes from the creative hobbyists. Hampered deep thinking is like running track in the Olympics without lung capacity.
But there’s one more I’d like to separate from the rest—
one derived from observation, internal and external. We reward our brains for being CONSUMERS and not CREATORS. Everything about social media puts us in the position of a passive consumer. The algorithms are designed to reward that. And that creates a conflict because our livelihoods center around making. Too much time spent watching and reading takes away time and focus spent creating. The more we give ourselves to that, the more our brains become accustomed to needing it. We’re essentially “getting high off the supply.”
Here’s some more neuroscience on why overconsumption of Social Media Can Undermine Creativity:
Neuroplastic Rewiring Toward Passive Consumption Social media rewards quick, passive engagement (scrolling, liking, watching). Over time, this can rewire attention and reward systems to prefer consumption over creation.
This leads to a dopamine imbalance, where the brain craves low-effort, high-stimulus input—and creating art, which requires sustained focus and delayed gratification, becomes less rewarding in contrast.Creative Discomfort: Consumption Feels Easier, Safer When you're consuming, you're safe from critique, failure, or vulnerability.Social media creates parasocial comparisons—seeing polished, curated output from others can trigger imposter syndrome and perfectionism, making it harder to begin or continue your own work.
Cognitive Fragmentation and Focus Depletion The constant context-switching and information overload reduce working memory and make deep work (essential for creativity) much harder. Creative tasks rely heavily on sustained attention, internal incubation, and flow—all disrupted by social media overuse.
Artificial Dopamine Peaks, Real-World Motivation Valleys Scrolling gives immediate pleasure via dopamine bursts. Creating art offers delayed gratification, often preceded by struggle. Over time, the contrast can make real creative effort feel boring, painful, or overwhelming, even if you love your craft.
DMN and Imagination Are Disrupted The Default Mode Network is interrupted by the constant need for stimulation on social media. Quiet mind-wandering (where ideas often bloom) is replaced with externally driven mental activity.
This all culminates in that moment when you sit down to work, and you either somehow find yourself an hour into a doom scroll, or you’re overwhelmed by brain fog, feeling anxiously repelled from your chair.
So, what then is the solution? Sometimes the thought of a total fast from social media can cause its own descent into anxiety and literal feelings of withdrawal. When you need to create and you’re already stressed, dealing with the symptoms of a cold turkey withdrawal exacerbates the whole problem.
One technique that I’ve found immensely effective is actually very simple. We need to do a soft reset of our brain balance. And it looks like turning everything off. Everything, and settling into intentional silence and doing it for long enough until our brain falls into a whisper. (Now, I must point out that if one deals with ADHD, this could look different. Also, Instead of self-diagnosing or assuming you have it—consult a professional.)
This practice requires a bit of patience. It might take time…a long time. Upward of an hour. But if you know you’re about to face a creatively strenuous task, it may be worth the time. The results warrant the sacrifice.
This silence is NOT napping, nor is it meditation (although those can help). It’s almost like you’re turning all the knobs down to zero and sitting in it. Obviously, you’re still going to have thoughts, but the silence is deeming that not a single one of them is important.
For me, after a time, my mind acquiesced to the silence, as if to say, “Oh! That’s what we’re doing. I’m in!” I was overtaken with a fresh feeling. I felt light, like my brain cache was cleared. I could then choose what to focus on, as opposed to an overwhelmed mind clamoring with "give me new suggestions, manically." That led to improved clarity. It made visible solutions that were in front of me the whole time, but anxiety tossed them away before I even had a chance to evaluate them. I could feel the total flow of my “salience network” functioning in a streamlined way.
I will say that those effects are temporary, or at least fragile at first. We can easily fall back into the habit of accumulating stimulus or finding the phone in our hand…or a thousand tabs opened. So once you’re in that state, you have to preserve it.
And as you practice it, you build the stamina to stay in it longer.
Here’s some more neuroscience:
Why Intentional Quiet Works:
Reduces Sensory Overload Gives your nervous system a break from the noise of notifications, conversation, and stimuli. Allows the default mode network (DMN) to activate—this part of the brain is linked to introspection, imagination, and creativity.
Regulates Stress Hormones Even a few minutes of silence can lower cortisol and help you feel grounded.
Supports Transition It signals to your brain: “We’re switching gears now.” This helps shift from reactive or distracted states into intentional focus.
How Long Is Enough? It depends on how mentally “loud” you feel beforehand, but here’s a guideline:
Mild (low stress, not scattered): 2–5 minutes
Moderate (after screen time, social media, multitasking): 10–15 minutes
High (anxious, overstimulated, scattered): 20–30 minutes
How to Practice Intentional Quiet:
Sit or lie down with no input. No music, no phone, no talking.
Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Breathe naturally or follow your breath if your mind races.
If thoughts come up, don’t resist—just observe without judgment.
Repetition Builds Speed. The more regularly you practice this, the faster your brain learns to shift into that creative state. Over time, just a few minutes of quiet can feel like a deep reset.
While looking up this topic, I came across more tips to prepare yourself for a long creative session:
Creative Warm-Up Routine (Pre-Session Habits):
Move Your Body (5–15 min)
Why: Light exercise increases blood flow to the brain, helps clear mental cobwebs, and reduces anxiety.
What to do:
Take a brisk walk
Do yoga or stretching
Dance to one song you love
Clear the Clutter
Why: A messy space equals a messy mind.
What to do:
Tidy up your desk or work area
Close irrelevant browser tabs and mute notifications
Jot down nagging thoughts on paper to “park” them outside your mind
Create a “Mental Docking Station”
Why: Transitioning from the outside world into your creative “zone” helps your brain switch modes.
What to do:
Light a candle, turn on a specific playlist, or make a cup of tea—anchor your ritual with sensory cues
Repeat a short mantra or phrase like: “I’m here now. Let’s make something that didn’t exist before.”
5-Minute Free Write / Doodle
Why: Warms up your expressive muscles without pressure.
What to do:
Free-write in a notebook whatever comes to mind—stream of consciousness
Doodle randomly if you’re a visual creative
Use a prompt like: “Today I’m curious about…” or “What if…”
Set a Clear Intention
Why: Creative energy benefits from direction—even loose direction.
What to do:
Ask: What do I want to explore or express right now?
Write down your goal for the session (even if it’s just “generate a few ideas” or “try something ugly”)
Breathe + Center (1–3 min)
Why: Oxygen + calm = better thinking and less self-editing.
What to do:
Take deep belly breaths
Try a short grounding practice like 4-7-8 breathing or box breathing
Begin in “Play Mode”
Why: Perfectionism and pressure kill creativity. Start loose, low-stakes.
What to do:
Do 5–10 minutes of creative “play” (scribble ideas, try random brushes, riff on nonsense)
Then pivot into your structured session
I hope you found some useful information in this info spill. I think a lot of the times we view creativity as coming from some vague undefined spiritual space, and it may. But all of that still funnels through the mechanism that is our brain. If we don’t manage and take care of it, keeping it unclogged from things like the overconsumption of social media—we run the risk of crippling our ability to create.
What a great read!