Overshot — find the TikToks breaking out, and what they're selling

Loading video…

working in behavioural science and tech taught me something i can't unsee about what our phones are doing to us

@karosaves

17.1K followers · usually 2.2K views a post

Views

43.0K

Likes

5.1K

Comments

427

Why it worked

The content taps into a common, relatable experience of phone overuse and its psychological effects, presented in an easily digestible, educational format. The "it's not your fault" framing and the call to action to tag friends encourage engagement and sharing.

Summary

This slideshow explains four psychological effects related to phone usage: the Zeigarnik effect (leaving tabs open), the photo-taking impairment effect (outsourcing memory to camera roll), the intention-action gap (saving for later without acting), and vicarious goal fulfillment (sharing content as a substitute for action). It concludes by stating that phones are designed with these principles in mind, making it easier to scroll than to act.

Structure

1Introduction to phone's psychological impact
2Explaining the Zeigarnik effect
3Explaining the photo-taking impairment effect
4Explaining the intention-action gap
5Explaining vicarious goal fulfillment
6Concluding that phone design exploits these effects

Call to action

tag someone whose you're always sending silly tiktoks to but never making them come true together!!!

On-screen text

working in behavioural science and tech taught me something i can't unsee about what our phones are doing to us (and no, it's not your classic doomscrolling and brainrot although ofc that's a thing too) 1. the zeigarnik effect you have 47 tabs open right now. not because you're busy - because closing a tab feels like losing something. your brain treats unfinished tasks as threats. 2. the photo-taking impairment effect when you screenshot something you trick your brain into thinking you've already processed it. you haven't. you've just outsourced your memory to your camera roll. 3. the intention-action gap your saved folder has hundreds of posts in it and you've acted on maybe 3. saving something "for later" feels like doing. it really isn't. 4. vicarious goal fulfillment you sent someone a post with "us" or "this is literally you" and then never actually did the thing. sharing an intention releases enough dopamine that your brain thinks the job is done. none of this is your fault btw!! your phone was designed by people who study exactly this. the friction to save and continue scrolling is always lower than the friction to act. that's not an accident. tag someone whose you're always sending silly tiktoks to but never making them come true together!!!