The revolution of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the post-industrial age has fundamentally shaped the way humans interact, communicate, and consume information. Social networks such as X (Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and others have turned from being only tools for social communications into information ecosystems of the world’s population. Although the trend to become a “digital native” has positive features, it has complicated the psychological aspects of social media user’s behaviors. With an unprecedented amount of information flow, a harmful addiction has appeared among social media users: doomscrolling (or doomsurfing).
Literally, doomscrolling is described as chronic, repetitive reading, consuming, and searching of the distressed news or content with negative implications on the screens of mobile phones without a clear purpose (Satici et al., 2022). Social media engagement in doomscrolling has become especially popular during the COVID-19 worldwide health crisis as people subconsciously tried to monitor the situation in their countries to prevent infection. Therefore, the obsessive reading of the news turned to be an effective coping mechanism to survive the pandemic.
However, in the new socio-technological realities of today, doomscrolling is no more the coping strategy against a temporary threat like a pandemic. Nowadays, the doomsaying behavior often hides in a daily routine of the ordinary person who unintentionally wastes three to five hours a day on the social networks, consuming the news about ongoing tragedies, collapses of social (and global) order, financial fluctuations, climate crises, and other disasters. Thus, the negative habit has penetrated the routines of millions of people on a large scale: from morning till evening, people unconsciously scroll the news and social media content that triggers their thinking and shapes their realities.
However, the transformation of “doomscrolling” into a lifestyle is a reflection of the complex psycho-biological mechanisms that stand behind the concept. The continuous reading of the news about ongoing calamities, political and economic struggles, and other disturbances may jeopardize the mental and physical health of an average person. The question of interest is: how has the stress-inducing behavior of doomscrolling become a generally accepted practice of society? What are the effects of such an attitude toward the screen on the individual’s biological, psychological, and social planes? The purpose of this paper is to answer these questions and analyze doomscrolling in terms of digital interface architecture and evolutionary psychology. Moreover, the paper will explore the impact of doomscrolling on the psyche and lifestyle of an average social media user and outline the possible digital hygiene strategies.
Drivers behind the Shift of Doomscrolling into a Digital Lifestyle
Doomscrolling has become a common behavior for millions of social media users around the world. The pattern of doomscrolling has resurfaced not only during the COVID-19 pandemic but also in day-to-day routines of ordinary people. Such a leap in popularity of the doomsaying habit is conditioned by the peculiarities of the technology of social networks and psychological factors. The former implies the technical architecture and persuasive algorithm design, whereas the latter includes the evolutionary and neurobiological determinants of doomscrolling. I believe that the shift of doomscrolling into the digital lifestyle is associated with the design choices of social networks that value the engagement of users.
Technology Architecture and Persuasive Algorithm Design
The interplay between technology and psychology of social media users is a tricky one and is barely separated into isolated variables. Both factors together form a lasting psychological habit that people have without knowing the exact reason. Therefore, the drivers of doomscrolling on social networks stem from the engagement-oriented architecture of applications and the lack of control users have over their screen time. The key to the popularity of doomscrolling is in infinite scrolls and unpredictable rewards of social networks’ algorithms that prompt users into searching for new content pieces which may trigger their reactions. Endless scroll down the page removes any psychological barriers that would naturally force a human to stop an action. Moreover, the content suggested by the machine learning algorithms often includes the material that provokes negative emotions such as anger, disappointment, and fear as they are the most engaging factors. Although I assume that the engagement of doomscrolling is a result of the complex interplay between mentioned factors, the popularity of the behavior speaks of its natural connection with human nature.
Psychological and Neurological Determinants
Evolutionary speaking, doomscrolling behavior utilizes the psychological weakness of humans for negative news. As the result of natural selection, human minds are wired to focus on the negative as negative experiences are more destructive for individuals as compared to positive ones. Thus, the negative news gets higher engagement on social networks as people subconsciously want to know about potential dangers. Moreover, the amygdala of the human brain is responsible for short-term memory and quick decision-making in threatening situations. Therefore, the feeling of threat, induced by negative news, moves people to experience fear and anxiety. However, the content of negative news is not connected to an immediate threat, making the scroll down an escape from reality. Not knowing facts or feeling uncertainty about them may damage human psychology. Individuals who score high on the tendency to feel anxiety in situations when they cannot determine facts may turn to doomscrolling as a coping mechanism. The behavior is explained by the perception of constant danger which encourages such people to believe that they can manage it by knowing about it through news. A similar psychological determinant of doomscrolling is the fear of missing out (FOMO) associated with the need to stay updated. The inability to monitor all news updates in social networks makes people feel inadequate and not informed as compared to others. Therefore, the FOMO turns the act of reading news into an obligation that often includes negative content.
The Systemic Consequences of Doomscrolling for Well-being and Quality of Life
Doomscrolling turned into a lifestyle of many social media users around the world. The doomsaying behavior not only damages the psyche of people but also inflicts harm on the body through chronic stress and lack of rest. Moreover, when doomscrolling becomes a routine, individuals start to perceive their surroundings in a negative way, which deteriorates the quality of social interactions.
- Effect on mood Repeated exposure to negative news and feelings as a result of doomscrolling may induce stress in an individual. Moreover, the pessimistic perception of the world may affect the cognitive abilities of a person making them experience constant anxiety.
- Trouble concentrating The repetitive switch from one news piece to another trains the human brain into perceiving the continuous flow of information. Such training results in a lower ability to concentrate on a particular task and quick mind wandering. Therefore, doomscrolling may lead to reduced productivity and worse performance in educational settings and workplaces.
- Difficulties with sleep As doomscrolling often happens in the evening, the blue light of a display may interfere with a person’s circadian rhythm. Moreover, the negative content may prevent a social media user from falling asleep or staying asleep. Lack of proper sleep due to doomscrolling may result in extreme tiredness and reduced productivity during the day.
- Less compassion and less socialization Reading negative news for a prolonged time may strip an individual of compassion and empathy resulting in a poorer perception of other people’s painful experiences. Moreover, spending time on social networks instead of real-life activities reduces the amount of socialization of a person, affecting their quality of life. Strategies for changing digital lifestyles through digital hygiene There are effective digital hygiene strategies that allow reducing the frequency and duration of doomscrolling. The main point is to establish a healthy relationship with a screen through small adjustments. Thus, the following recommendations help reduce the harmful impact of doomscrolling on the psyche and lifestyle of social media users.
- Limiting social apps Modern smartphones have a feature that allows users to set a daily limit of using particular social media apps. Such a feature helps to build a habit of not spending more time than planned on the apps. Moreover, it is necessary to set strict rules for yourself, such as not using a phone during meals or before going to sleep.
- Thinking before interacting with social media content Before interacting with any social media content, it is crucial to take a step back and evaluate the potential consequences of such an action. Ask yourself two questions: why do I want to engage with this content, and will this really make my day better? The introspection helps to reveal the subconscious desire to doomscroll and prevents such behavior.
- Replacing doomscrolling with other activities The urge to scroll down the news feed can be diverted to engaging into other activities that people enjoy. For instance, reading a book, taking a walk outside, or doing a sport can replace doomscrolling as a coping mechanism. Moreover, it is essential to remove the accounts that promote negative news and replace them with those that encourage positive vibes and useful content.
Overall, maintaining a healthy lifestyle requires the adjustment of relationships with screens. Such changes start from the replacement of negative content with positive and engagement with social media apps in accordance with personal boundaries.
CLOSING
The doomsaying behavior has become a normalized part of the modern lifestyle due to its occurrence due to social media’s design, such as “infinite scroll”, and psychological bias, including negativity bias, and “fear of missing out”. The ubiquitous nature of doomscrolling has the potential to affect an individual’s psyche and even physical well-being. It can lead to increased stress, anxiety, and “brain fog”, as well as reduced empathy and social interactions. Moreover, it can impair sleep quality and concentration, which may interfere with work, studies, or everyday interactions. Additionally, doomscrolling can lead to a worse mood and a generally more pessimistic philosophy in life. A change in the attitude toward the doomsaying behavior can be implemented through such means as “digital hygiene”, curation, and “mindful scrolling”. These imply adjusting the relationship with technology, only following desirable news outlets, and engaging in constant self-assessment. Moreover, individuals should understand that not all news require immediate reaction and attention. Overall, a change in the attitude toward doomscrolling can help in improving people’s quality of life and managing daily tasks, including studies and work, as well as socialization and participation in non-professional events.
By: Sintya Isna Dewi
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