Leadership Beyond the Scroll

Resisting the Dopamine Loop, Cultivating Real Vision

Leadership AI by Farshad Asl

In a world where every swipe promises a thrill, our brains are being quietly rewired. TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and countless other platforms have perfected the infinite scroll—keeping us hooked with unpredictable rewards and rapid stimulation. While this can feel like harmless entertainment, the long-term impact on attention, mental health, and leadership cannot be ignored.

Beyond Dopamine: What the Research Shows:

Yes, dopamine is part of the story: each swipe delivers a reward cue that reinforces compulsive checking. But the picture is broader.

Social comparison & unrealistic expectations. Highlight reels push us to compare our daily lives to others’ polished moments—fueling dissatisfaction and lower self-esteem (Frontiers in Psychology, 2021).

Depression & anxiety (longitudinal evidence). In adolescents, higher social media use predicts greater depressive symptoms one year later (JAMA Network Open, 2025). Preteens showed a 35% rise in depressive symptoms as usage grew (UCSF, 2025).

Problematic use. It’s not only about screen time; it’s the emotional reliance. Youth who feel upset when separated from social media report higher depression, anxiety, and even suicidal ideation (UT Southwestern, 2025).

Cognition & attention. The “online brain” environment conditions shorter attention cycles and prioritizes speed over depth (Nature Communications, 2021).

Balancing Tech’s Benefits with Its Risks:

Leaders cannot afford to frame technology as purely harmful. To lead well, we must resist the extremes of demonizing it or blindly embracing it. The challenge is to use digital tools in ways that amplify connection, creativity, and innovation—without letting them hollow out focus and resilience.

Examples of Mindful Integration:

-Curated Content Strategy. Follow only accounts that inspire growth, innovation, or service. Apply a “quality over quantity” rule: if it doesn’t feed vision, it doesn’t get a follow.

-Tech-Free Team Rituals. Protect focus by building phone-free weekly meetings, walking sessions outdoors, or “deep work hours” where digital interruptions are paused.

-Digital Sabbaths. Take one evening or day each week offline and share the benefits with your team.

-Purpose-Driven Posting. Use social platforms intentionally—to celebrate wins, reinforce values, or share lessons—not for endless consumption.

Measuring the Impact:

In leadership, what gets measured gets improved. Here are simple ways to track whether mindful integration is working:

- Team engagement. Use pulse surveys to ask: “Do you feel more focused at work?” or “Are meetings more present and productive?”

- Focus metrics. Track how often teams achieve deep work hours without interruption, or measure project completion times for work requiring sustained attention.

- Well-being check-ins. Monitor indicators like burnout, stress levels, or voluntary participation in tech-free rituals.

- These aren’t about policing behavior—they’re about seeing whether cultures of focus and resilience are actually taking root.

Implications for Leadership:

Decision-Making: Short-term rewards erode the muscle for long-term strategy.

Team Culture: Unrealistic expectations breed impatience and lower resilience.

Personal Leadership: If we can’t manage our own scroll, our credibility suffers.

Vision vs. Distraction: Great leaders use tools to build focus, not fragment it.

As John Maxwell reminds us: “You cannot lead people to places you are unwilling to go yourself.” That includes leading through distraction.

What Leaders Can Do?

- Model Digital Discipline. Show your team what intentional use looks like.

- Design for Depth. Reward resilience, patience, and projects that demand focus.

- Educate Teams. Teach the traps of comparison stress and attention fatigue.

- Measure Progress. Track focus, engagement, and well-being as proof that your practices are building healthier teams.

- Leverage Tech Wisely. Curate feeds, set boundaries, and use tools that serve vision, not vanity.

Social platforms have mastered the science of keeping us scrolling. Leaders must master the art of keeping us growing. The task is not to abandon technology, but to wield it with wisdom—embracing its strengths while resisting its traps.

Anything less, and we’re just swiping through our potential.

“Attention is the seed of leadership. Wherever it grows, influence follows.” — Farshad Asl

References:

Firth, J., Torous, J., & Stubbs, B. (2021). The “online brain”: How the internet may be changing our cognition. Nature Communications, 12, 586.

Smith, A., & Weng, A. (2019). The impact of social media on mental health in adolescents and young adults: A scoping review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, 578.

Kelly, Y., et al. (2025). Social media use and subsequent depressive symptoms in adolescents. JAMA Network Open, 8(3), e2834349.

UCSF (2025). Yes, social media might be making kids depressed.

UT Southwestern (2025). Problematic social media use tied to depression and anxiety in youth.