Short-Video Flow Linked to Problematic Social Media Use Through Decision Fatigue and Smombie Behavior

People who become deeply absorbed in short videos on social media may be more prone to problematic use of these platforms, and a new cross-sectional study points to a possible chain of psychological steps behind that association.

The study, published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, used a cross-sectional design, meaning all variables were measured at a single point in time. The researchers, Ali Berke Körün, Çağrı Aksu, and Seydi Ahmet Satıcı, analyzed the data with structural equation modeling and bootstrapping procedures to test whether the hypothesized sequence of variables fit the observed associations.

Correlation analyses showed significant positive associations among all study variables: higher short-video flow went together with higher decision fatigue, more mistake rumination, more smombie behavior, and greater problematic social media use. The structural model likewise yielded significant associations among short-video flow, decision fatigue, mistake rumination, smombie behavior, and problematic social media use, consistent with the proposed serial ordering.

Bootstrapping analyses indicated that the indirect effects were statistically significant and matched the hypothesized ordering of the variables. In practical terms, the model suggests that short-video flow is associated with decision fatigue, which in turn is associated with mistake rumination and smombie behavior, and ultimately with more problematic social media use.

The authors are explicit that the design limits interpretation. Because the data are cross-sectional, the study does not establish temporal ordering or causal mediation. Because the design is cross-sectional, the direction of the associations cannot be determined from these data. The abstract states that these cross-sectional associations may inform future longitudinal and experimental research on problematic digital use rather than supporting causal claims.

By modeling several psychological variables in sequence rather than testing a single mediator, the study offers a detailed map of associations that future research can examine over time.

Subject of Research: Cross-sectional associations between short-video flow and problematic social media use via decision fatigue, mistake rumination, and smombie behavior

Article Title: Short-Video Flow and Problematic Social Media Use: A Cross-Sectional Serial Mediation Model Involving Decision Fatigue, Mistake Rumination, and Smombie Behavior

Article References: Körün, A. B., Aksu, Ç., & Satıcı, S. A. (2026). Short-Video Flow and Problematic Social Media Use: A Cross-Sectional Serial Mediation Model Involving Decision Fatigue, Mistake Rumination, and Smombie Behavior. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-026-01752-x

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s11469-026-01752-x

Keywords: short-video flow, problematic social media use, decision fatigue, mistake rumination, smombie behavior, cross-sectional study, structural equation modeling, bootstrapping, digital media use, mediation analysis, Short-Video, Flow