Update:
After feeling sick watching the fast, flashing clips, I wrote to the organizers to let them know.
They responded kindly and said they hadn’t realized the edits could affect people this way — and they’re going to address it.
That meant a lot.
It reminded me that accessibility isn’t about blame.
Sometimes people simply don’t know.
But when we speak up, things can change.
If something online makes you feel unwell, it’s okay to say so.
Your comfort and your brain health matter too.
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When Instagram Moves Too Fast: Flashing Graphics, Seizures, and Why Our Brains Need Gentler Media
The other day I tried to watch clips from a local art fair on Instagram.
I was excited.
Friends were posting.
Paintings, music, sunshine, community.
But I couldn’t watch.
The videos were cut into tiny pieces and sped up — flash, flash, flash — jump cuts, strobe transitions, white screens, red screens, half-second clips stacked together.
Within seconds I felt dizzy.
My stomach turned.
My eyes hurt.
I had to look away and close them.
And I thought:
Why does something as simple as watching art make me feel sick?
It’s not “just sensitivity”
For a long time I wondered if it was just me getting older or “too sensitive.”
But it isn’t.
Fast flashing graphics and rapid edits can trigger very real neurological reactions.
Even in people who don’t have epilepsy.
Symptoms many people experience:
• dizziness
• nausea
• headaches
• eye strain
• anxiety
• disorientation
• brain fog
It’s your nervous system saying:
This is too much.
The Pokémon incident many of us remember
If you grew up in the 90s like I did, you might remember this.
In 1997, a Pokémon episode aired in Japan that used intense flashing red and blue lights for about 12–15 seconds.
Over 600 children experienced seizures.
Hundreds were taken to hospitals.
It became one of the largest mass photosensitive seizure events ever recorded.
After that, broadcasters created safety rules about flashing lights on television.
But here’s the strange part…
Those rules don’t really exist on social media.
Now anyone can post rapid strobe edits directly into our faces — with zero warning.
Our brains didn’t evolve for this
Think about nature for a moment.
The world we evolved in looks like:
🌿 waves rolling in
🌿 wind moving leaves
🌿 slow clouds
🌿 sunrise light
🌿 steady motion
Not:
⚡ strobe flashes
⚡ 20 cuts per second
⚡ bright white screens
⚡ red/black flickers
⚡ hyper-speed edits
Our brains process natural movement smoothly.
But flashing contrast and rapid visual changes can overload the visual cortex and nervous system.
It’s not weakness.
It’s biology.
Social media rewards “faster, louder, more”
Platforms like Instagram now push:
• faster reels
• shorter attention spans
• constant stimulation
• flashy transitions
• visual shock
Because it grabs attention.
But grabbing attention isn’t the same as being healthy.
Sometimes it feels like our feeds are becoming tiny casinos — lights, noise, flashing, everything competing to hook the brain.
And some of us pay the price physically.
Especially:
• people with epilepsy
• migraines
• concussions
• autism or sensory sensitivity
• anxiety
• PTSD
• or simply tired nervous systems
Accessibility matters.
And right now, a lot of content simply isn’t accessible.
Art shouldn’t make us sick
What really struck me is this:
These were posts about an art fair.
Art.
Something that’s supposed to feel inspiring and joyful.
But the way it was edited made it unwatchable.
When did we decide that everything has to be sped up?
Why can’t we just see a painting for a few seconds?
Why can’t we breathe?
Why can’t we look?
Not everything needs to flash.
Not everything needs to shout.
Sometimes slowness is more powerful.
Choosing gentler media
Living here in Zipolite, I notice how different life feels.
I wake up at 5am.
I watch the ocean.
I paint slowly.
I photograph light moving across sand.
Nothing flashes.
Nothing screams for attention.
And honestly?
My nervous system feels better.
So maybe we need more:
• slower videos
• longer shots
• softer transitions
• fewer strobe effects
• more calm
Media that respects the brain.
Media that includes everyone.
Media that heals instead of overwhelms.
A small request to creators
If you make videos or reels, please consider:
• avoid rapid flashing
• avoid strobe effects
• avoid extreme contrast flickers
• slow down cuts
• give the eye time to rest
• add content warnings if needed
It’s a small change that can make a big difference for someone.
You might help someone avoid a migraine.
Or a panic attack.
Or a seizure.
If you feel sick watching fast videos…
You’re not dramatic.
You’re not old.
You’re not “too sensitive.”
Your brain is protecting you.
Listen to it.
Look away.
Choose calmer spaces.
Your nervous system deserves care.
Maybe art doesn’t need to be louder.
Maybe it needs to be kinder.
🌿
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