Society has spent a long time complaining about our minds, worn down by the digital world, and about our attention span, which has come to resemble a goldfish's memory, pointing fingers at endless scrolling through negative content, "doomscrolling," as the reason we can no longer simply sit and read a book or study for exams.
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But what if the solution isn't stopping the scroll, but rethinking the kind of content we scroll past?
This is the bet startup "ScrollEd" is making.
The company, based in Palo Alto, is taking part in the Startup Battlefield 200 competition at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference, with an idea built on the premise that if students don't want to open a textbook, why not present that same textbook as scrollable content?
"ScrollEd" has developed an app that lets users turn any text file, including static PDFs or textbooks, into a content feed resembling "Instagram Reels" or "TikTok."
While scrolling, content appears in the form of AI-generated videos, audio material, text, or even interactive quizzes.
Scrolling up moves to a new topic, while scrolling sideways lets users dig deeper into the topic they're viewing, with a quiz waiting at the end of the content.
Utsav Gupta, co-founder of "ScrollEd," said in an email to TechCrunch: "The younger generation is increasingly drawn only to short, vertical content, especially those we spoke to who are 18, and this creates challenges for any kind of content that requires depth."
He added: "We want to reach them where they already are... we just need to be thoughtful about how we use this format, and choose not to make increasing engagement on the platform the ultimate goal."
Gupta continued: "A short video can spark your curiosity, and following that curiosity might mean searching for another explanation or even leaving the app. We wanted to make going deeper into a topic just as easy as moving on to the next video."
Gupta founded "ScrollEd" this year with self-funding, alongside his co-founder and wife Rebecca Neff, after the two noticed feeling dissatisfied after spending time endlessly scrolling through content before bed.
Both co-founders are still students; Gupta studies AI and human purpose at Stanford University, while Neff studies computer science at the University of Pennsylvania.
The startup targets educational institutions, corporate training programs, as well as individuals who "simply want something better to scroll through," according to Gupta.
"ScrollEd" follows a freemium business model, combining a free content feed for users with a paid subscription called ScrollEd Pro, in addition to annual licenses for institutions.
Institutions pay to deliver educational material through the platform, and in return receive reports relatedto user engagement levels, lesson progress, and other data.
Over the coming months, "ScrollEd" plans to focus on launching its consumer-facing service, building a library of lessons, developing a mechanism for verifying sources, alongside setting up pilot programs for institutions.
In fact, the company will launch its consumer-facing activity during the "Disrupt" conference.
Gupta joked: "We hope to 'disrupt' social media and short-form content!" referencing the conference's name, which means "to bring about radical change or disruption."
The startup is also working on building an infrastructure that would, in the future, allow teachers to assess each learner individually and adapt content to their needs.
Gupta said: "The ambition is to create a social network that's better for you."
Resource: Al-Ghad.
