Context-switching in short-form videos: What is the impact on prospective memory?

Short-form video domains, such as TikTok, may have a degenerate impact on Prospective Memory (PM) performance. This is due to the fast context-switching features that short-form videos present. This study examines the hypothesis that fast context-switching while watching short-form videos contributes to a cognitive decline. The pace of context-switching is the speed at which participants switch between videos. A between-groups design was used with three conditions that varied the pace of context-switching: (1) unlimited context-switching, (2) limited context-switching and (3) control (no short-form video stimulus). Participants’ cognitive ability was measured pre and post-video viewing through a combined Lexical Decision (LD) and PM task. Participants (N = 45) were recruited using an experimental participation scheme. To test the hypothesis, linear mixed models were conducted, with LD and PM task response time and accuracy as the criterion and the three context-switching conditions as the predictors. Participants in the unlimited context-switching condition had significantly deteriorated PM performance post-interruption, whereas the limited switching condition had significantly improved PM performance post-interruption. Therefore, fast context-switching is identified as an underlying factor behind PM decline following short-form video use. This could inform the case for the regulation of media platforms with fast context-switching features.