New research shows that the average person's thumb travels the equivalent of two marathon races a year through scrolling on social media. The marketing agency Ilk conducted these calculations based on estimates that we spend 49 minutes a day scrolling through social media. The company created an interactive mobile simulator called Thumb Run, styled like an old-school arcade game from the 1980s, to help visualize the distance the finger moves.
The Thumb Run simulator features a thumb wearing running gear as it navigates a digital racing track, accompanied by an 8-bit motivational soundtrack reminiscent of Chariots of Fire. Rob Jones, the Senior Public Relations and Social Media Manager at Ilk, said, "It is no secret that many of us spend a lot of time on our phones, but the enormous distance our thumbs travel doing so over a typical year is astonishing."
Jones added, "We wanted to illustrate the significant role social media plays in our lives, whether as a source of entertainment, a means to access important information, or to stay connected with family and friends."
Excessive smartphone use can lead to "scrolling thumb" or "texting thumb," where the finger begins to spasm or become inflamed or stuck in a bent position. This unnatural and repetitive motion of the thumb bone can cause pain and eventually lead to arthritis.
Dr. Eugene Wai Tsai, a specialist at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, explains, "Essentially, the tendon in the thumb becomes inflamed because it repeatedly rubs against the surrounding tunnel, and this inflammation quickly leads to thumb pain around the finger joint. Patients may also experience a popping sensation when bending their thumbs."
Scrolling thumb may be more associated with smaller phones, while larger smartphones and tablets cause pain in the fingers and wrists, according to the Daily Mail.
