THE TYRANNY OF ENDLESS ENTERTAINMENT: DIGITAL ESCAPISM AND THE ATROPHY OF CONFRONTING REAL PROBLEMS

Abstract

The accelerated expansion of digital entertainment platforms has reconfigured patterns of leisure time use and the ways in which contemporary subjects deal with discomfort, frustration, and everyday problems. This study analyzes the phenomenon of digital escapism and its relationship with the atrophy of real problem-solving capacities, examining the psychological, technological, and social mechanisms that sustain the excessive use of online entertainment as an experiential avoidance strategy. The research adopts a qualitative approach, of basic nature and exploratory character, developed through systematic bibliographic review in Qualis A1 and A2 journals indexed by CAPES, published between 2010 and 2024. The results indicate that the problematic use of the internet and smartphones is associated with common mental disorders, reduced frustration tolerance, and the weakening of active coping strategies. The analyses point out that digital dependency operates as a self-reinforcing cycle that deepens the psychological vulnerability of subjects while simultaneously reducing their capacity for agency over their own problems. The study contributes to the field of digital psychology and mental health by articulating clinical, sociological, and technological perspectives on the phenomenon. The findings reinforce that the tiranny of infinite entertainment is not a metaphor but a structural condition of contemporary digital culture, one that demands responses from public health policy, digital education, and clinical practice working in an integrated and coordinated manner.