I’ve recently found myself doomscrolling - sucked into the endless loop of consuming negative, distressing content on the news that both terrifies me and absolutely captivates me. Many of us have found ourselves doomscrolling whether it’s pouring over devastating headlines, tragic global events, or conspiracy theories, doomscrolling is a bad habit purposefully engineered by media companies to keep our attention. This is the "attention economy," where companies compete for your focus by constantly bombarding you with content.
A recent study revealed that doomscrolling doesn’t just impact our mood in the moment; it can actually change the way we view humanity and the meaning of life. But here’s the good news: even in the attention economy, there are strategies we can use to break free from the doomscrolling trap and reclaim our mental wellbeing.
Doomscrolling refers to the act of continuously consuming negative or traumatic news online, often to the point where it becomes addictive. Whether it’s scrolling through endless reports of shootings, natural disasters, or divisive political events, doomscrolling can pull us into a cycle of anxiety and despair that’s hard to escape.
The Flinders University study surveyed 800 university students from both Iran and the United States—two cultures with different perspectives—to understand how excessive negative news consumption affects our thoughts and feelings about existence. The results linked doomscrolling to existential anxiety (worries about life and death) and feelings of distrust or pessimism toward humanity.
According to the study, doomscrolling can lead to a form of vicarious trauma—where we experience psychological stress from traumatic events, even though we weren’t directly involved. Over time, this constant exposure to negative news can trigger symptoms similar to PTSD, such as increased anxiety, stress, and even existential dread.
In other words, constantly consuming negative news can make us feel like the world is a bleak and dangerous place. We may start to question the meaning of life, doubt whether the world is safe, and become suspicious of others. This shift in perspective can have a profound impact on our mental health, leading us to feel more isolated, anxious, and disconnected from the people around us.
So, what can we do about it? The lead author of the study, emphasizes the importance of being mindful of our online habits. While we should absolutely stay informed about what’s happening in the world, there’s a fine line between staying updated and being overwhelmed by a constant stream of negative news.
I’ll offer two accessible steps that I’ve started implementing to help me stop doomscrolling and reduce my screen time in general:
Intentional Pick-Ups: The next time you have a knee-jerk reaction to pick up your phone and swipe through the same apps over and over, pause and ask yourself: Why am I doing this right now? Is it out of habit, boredom, or stress? What do I hope to gain from swiping through my phone right now? This can help disrupt the automatic behavior of doomscrolling and give you the space to make more intentional choices about how you spend your time online.
Consume (More) Different Content: It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when all you see are negative headlines. Instead of just unfollowing or muting accounts, try balancing your feed by actually adding content that offers solutions or constructive perspectives. Although it seems counterintuitive, adding accounts that provide actionable steps or positive change can help you feel empowered rather than paralyzed by fear. (Nice News and Good News Network are two of my favorites)
The attention economy is designed to pull you in and keep you engaged—often at the cost of your mental health. But that doesn’t mean you’re powerless. It also doesn’t mean you have to completely give up your phone or social media for your mental wellbeing. Taking intentional steps about how you consume content, setting boundaries, and creating new habits can invite freedom and help you take back control of your time and mental health.
Journal Reference:
Reza Shabahang, Hyeyeon Hwang, Emma F. Thomas, Mara S. Aruguete, Lynn E. McCutcheon, Gábor Orosz, Abbas Ali Hossein Khanzadeh, Benyamin Mokhtari Chirani, Ágnes Zsila. Doomscrolling evokes existential anxiety and fosters pessimism about human nature? Evidence from Iran and the United States. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 2024; 15: 100438 DOI: 10.1016/j.chbr.2024.100438
Flinders University. (2024, July 18). Can doomscrolling trigger an existential crisis?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 26, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240718124709.htm
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