After a long day of being in the house, you open your phone. Immediately you start scrolling, but what are you seeing? Chances are, you’re taking in a whole lot of bad news. On your screen are news articles about the world being on fire, Instagram posts about injustices, Facebook feuds between loved ones over politics, and a bounty of negativity. Instead of looking away though, you keep scrolling… and scrolling. Welcome to doomscrolling.
What is it?
Kevin Roose from the NY Times says he’s been “falling into deep, morbid rabbit holes filled with coronavirus content, agitating myself to the point of physical discomfort, erasing any hope of a good night’s sleep.” and we can relate. Doomscrolling is simply the action of consuming heaps of negative media online. It happens when we can’t stop reading negative content, no matter how horrible it makes us feel.
Why do we do it?
If doomscrolling makes us miserable, why the heck do we still do it? According to Ken Yeager, PhD, our brains love the abuse. He says that we are hardwired to seek out things that can harm us as a survival mechanism If we know and understand the enemy, maybe we can survive against it. But what happens when the enemy becomes the never-ending stream of negative media? Here’s a similar view from psychology professor, Mary McNaughton-Cassill.
How the heck can we stop?
Doomscrolling has been linked to increases in anxiety, depression, and many other mental health issues, so how can we stop doing it? The first step is realizing that you’re doing it. It’s hard to stop something that you’re unaware of. Try and observe how you feel about doing it, are you worse off after consuming so much negativity? If so, start to limit the time you spend on screens. Limit your exposure time to reduce stress and anxiety. Yeager recommends training yourself to see the positive, he says that it will not come naturally, but over time it will get easier.
Do you ever find yourself stuck in a loop of scrolling through negativity for hours on end? Please follow the tips above and seek help if you feel your mental health deteriorating.
Facebook: Have you heard of doomscrolling? Learning about it has honestly been a game-changer for me –> https://algonquincollegesocialmedia.wordpress.com/2020/11/04/doomscrolling-our-unhealthy-new-addiction/(opens in a new tab)
Twitter: Addicted to bad news? Us too, and here’s why: https://tinyurl.com/y6mxw3l4
References
CTV News. (2020). Here’s how to know if you’re “doomscrolling” during COVID-19 (and why you should stop!) [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4Z8tl12ZRo&ab_channel=CTVNews
Miller, K. (2020). There’s a Reason You Can’t Stop Looking at Bad News—Here’s How to Stop. Retrieved 4 November 2020, from https://www.health.com/mind-body/what-is-doomscrolling
Roose, K. (2020). The Week in Tech: How to Stop Coronavirus ‘Doomsurfing’. Retrieved 4 November 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/technology/coronavirus-doomsurfing.html
Watercutter, A. (2020). Doomscrolling Is Slowly Eroding Your Mental Health. Retrieved 4 November 2020, from https://www.wired.com/story/stop-doomscrolling/
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 
Hi Emma,
Your blog caught my eye right away. Your header is what did it for me!
I initially didn’t know what doomscrolling was but quickly understood the term after reading the first paragraph entitled: What Is It? Thanks for clarifying it right from the start!
I enjoyed your references and the video. It was quite informative.
Overall, I think this was a well written blog! Thanks for sharing Emma!
Hi Patty,
I find it exciting that the title caught your eye right away! Thank you for sharing that with me.
The video was the first resource I had found on the topic back when I was trying to understand why I was so addicted to bad news, I’m glad it was helpful for you too!
Hi Emma,
I think the title of your blog was interesting and what drew me to read your post. The content itself was interesting because I didn’t know there was a term to describe that behaviour. I’ve definitely done it, especially with the pandemic, tragedies and bad news all through 2020.
I appreciate that you also added a section on ways to stop doomscrolling. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad that this struck a cord for you. Before I knew the name for the behavior, I couldn’t understand why I felt the need to constantly draw in negative media. Learning about it has really helped me to slow down how much I do it.
I hope this helps you too!
Hi Emma,
Your header definitely drew me in. I also had no idea that there was a term for this behaviour, but I have definitely found myself doing just that during this year! It was a fast read but I gathered a lot of good information from it! I also enjoyed the CTV news video. Thanks for posting!
I think we’ve all found ourselves feeling the need to consume as much negative press as possible lately, thankfully it’s only human! I hope that you’re doing well and can start to curb the need to doomscroll