UFC bantamweight star Sean O’Malley is also a victim of doomscrolling. He once spoke about the addictive habits that come from constant scrolling on short-form social media content, and now UFC commentator Joe Rogan has stepped into the debate, acknowledging the same.

Social media plays a major role in the UFC. The promotion fuels its growth by combining strong revenue streams with explosive digital reach. By leaning into short-form content that pulls in billions of views, as seen with UFC 306, the UFC stays in sync with today’s fast-moving digital culture. Still, that strategy can fuel FOMO, even for stars like Sean O’Malley, who has spoken about feeling overlooked when he does not see himself in the headlines despite having millions of followers. Recently, Joe Rogan highlighted how Sean O’Malley handles it.

Joe Rogan talks to Bradley Cooper about Sean O’Malley’s social media habits

On the latest Joe Rogan Experience, episode #2435, Joe Rogan welcomed movie star Bradley Cooper. In the episode, Cooper shared his amazement at how the JRE podcast, with its “long-form setup,” continues to succeed in a world dominated by short-form content culture.

“Short attention-span stuff is very popular,” said Joe Rogan. “Even with me. But I have been resisting it more and more lately. I’m like a f–king h–oin addict, slowly weaning myself off the drug. And the more I wean myself, the better I feel, physically better. My brain works better. I feel more relaxed. I don’t feel like this.”

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Then, the podcaster highlighted former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley’s way of detoxing from social media obsession. Back in 2024, after losing his belt to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306, a defeat that felt more like a career setback than just a loss, O’Malley stepped away from social media for months to focus on training and becoming a more productive athlete.

“Like Sean O’Malley, the UFC fighter, said—even when he’s just scrolling, even if it’s not anything about him—there’s just this low-level anxiety that he gets…. I’m like, “Yeah, yeah,” because, you know, you’re wasting your time chasing a fix that you’re never going to get…What people really want is something engaging,” Joe Rogan added.

During this period, he focused on training rather than creating content for his channels, leaving his team to handle his social media. While he stayed away from bad habits like marijuana, nothing could prepare Sean O’Malley for his rematch against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316. O’Malley suffered a brutal defeat, but the changes he made brought him greater peace and improved his life, helping shield him from burnout and other issues.

Even though Joe Rogan is not a fan of short-form content, clips from his podcast continue to gain traction. Full-length episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience trend on YouTube and Spotify, while sub-one-minute clips spread rapidly across TikTok and Instagram. Still, that reach does not mean Rogan fully embraces social media platforms, which he has often linked to growing insecurity over time in people.

Rogan reacts to Kevin Hart’s criticism of social media

On his JRE podcast in 2020, Kevin Hart said, “Social media has mindf**ked people into thinking the comments below a post are what the world must be feeling and thinking about you.” Hart laid out the negative effects of social media and how it holds people back from succeeding. His take on social media grabbed attention, especially as he highlighted how humans naturally seek out negativity online and how social media amplifies those tendencies, even while discussing other topics.

“We’re intrigued by it,” said Kevin Hart.

Meanwhile, Joe Rogan sees this focus on threats and negativity as a core human instinct dating back to the start of civilization. “Well, it’s a natural human instinct, because those are the things that can kill you. From the days when we were living in small villages, worrying about animals attacking us. You had to always be worried about negative,” Rogan explained.

Rogan points out that social media now exploits these primitive instincts, which in turn creates real problems for people. “Unfortunately, that human instinct has carried over. Our human reward system has been hijacked by social media. This new thing we’re not prepared for,” he said.

With this warning, Joe Rogan sparked an important conversation about the dangers of the digital age. What’s your take on this? Do you agree with his perspective? Share your thoughts below.