Doomscrolling

Word of the Day: "Doomscrolling"

[ doom-skroh-ling ]

noun. Digital Technology. The practice of obsessively checking online news for updates, especially on social media feeds, expecting the news to be bad. The feeling of dread from the negative expectation fuels a compulsion to continue looking for updates in a self-perpetuating cycle.

Origin: First recorded in 2016

Example Sentences:

Instead of doomscrolling or studying the latest polls, people should consider exercising, enjoying nature and hobbies, or socializing with friends.

- From Los Angeles Times

Children doomscrolling for hours a day is causing widespread harm, according to Josh MacAlister, the Labour MP and former teacher behind the private member's bill being introduced in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

- From BBC

The fading of memories and the relentless passage of time are familiar feelings for the generation accustomed to doomscrolling through endless feeds.

- From Salon

Doomscrolling is also defined as an excessive consumption of short-form videos or social media without stopping. It can be considered a form of internet addiction disorder. In 2019, an NAS study found that doomscrolling can be linked to a decline in mental and physical health.

The practice of doomscrolling can be compared to an older phenomenon from the 1970s called the mean world syndrome, a belief that the world is a more dangerous place to live in than it actually is, as a result of long-term exposure to violence on television.

"Doomscrolling" was recognized by Merriam-Webster as an official word in September 2023. The term gained traction in the early-2020s through events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the George Floyd protests, the 2020 US presidential election, the storming of the US Capitol in 2021, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine since 2022.

Infinite scrolling, the continuous loading of content as the user scrolls down, eliminates the need for pagination and encourages doomscrolling behaviors. This feature removes natural stopping points and has been described as a pathway to both problematic smartphone and social media use.

The act of doomscrolling can be attributed to the natural negativity bias people have when consuming information. The idea is that negative events have a larger impact on one's mental well-being than good ones. Evolution may explain why humans seek out such negatives: if one's ancestors, for example, discovered how an ancient creature could injure them, they could avoid that fate.

As opposed to primitive humans, however, most people in modern times may have a question, they want an answer, and assume getting it will make them feel better... They keep scrolling and scrolling, thinking it will be helpful, but they end up feeling worse afterward.

Doomscrolling can also be explained by the fear of missing out, where people take part in activities that may not be beneficial to them, but which they fear "missing out on".

Obsessively consuming negative news online can also be partially attributed to a person's psychological need for control. During uncertain times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, people may have engaged in doomscrolling to gather information and gain a sense of mastery over the situation. Nevertheless, while attempting to seize control, many doomscrolling individuals developed more anxiety towards the situation rather than reducing it.

The mechanism may involve a part of the brain called the inferior frontal gyrus, which has a role in information processing and integrating new information into beliefs about reality. The brain selectively filters bad news from new information used to update one's beliefs. When doomscrolling, the brain may feel under threat and shut off its "bad news filter" in response. The result is more negative emotions that can make one feel anxious, depressed, and isolated.

In a study by psychologists, the participants who watched three minutes of negative news in the morning were 27% more likely to report experiencing a bad day later. In contrast, the group who watched news stories that were focused on solutions reported having a good day 88% of the time.

Some people have begun coping with the abundance of negative news stories by avoiding news altogether. In 2023, 39% of people worldwide reported actively avoiding the news, up from 29% in 2017. In the UK, interest in news has nearly halved since 2015.

References available from: Wikipedia