Doomscrolling

Came across a new term, rather a term that's been around for a while.

Doomscrolling is the act of compulsively scrolling through negative news or social media feeds, often for hours at a time, despite feeling upset or stressed by the content. The term "doomscrolling" gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, as people spent more time online and were inundated with a constant stream of alarming news about the virus and its effects. This behavior can lead to feelings of anxiety, hopelessness, and helplessness, as well as difficulty sleeping and concentrating

 So it became this "vicious cycle  in which users find themselves get stuck in a pattern of seeking negative information no matter how bad the news is." 

It does not help that, online/social media algorithms are designed to feed us "attention-capturing" information and give us more of whatever we had clicked on. The result was a newsfeed of endless doom, which could trigger more compulsive scrolling behavior. 

The disabled/autistic are equally vulnerable to these influences, further compounding our mental health issues. 

Here is a research paper on this. 

Doomscrolling Scale: its Association with Personality Traits, Psychological Distress, Social Media Use, and Wellbeing
Satici SA, Gocet Tekin E, Deniz ME, Satici B. Doomscrolling Scale: its Association with Personality Traits, Psychological Distress, Social Media Use, and Wellbeing. Appl Res Qual Life. 2022 Oct 19:1-15. doi: 10.1007/s11482-022-10110-7. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36275044; PMCID: PMC9580444.