what is doomscrolling?
doomscrolling is when you open your phone to "quickly check" something and emerge 47 minutes later having absorbed every piece of bad news the algorithm could find. you didn't enjoy it. you didn't learn anything useful. you just feel vaguely terrible now.
it's the digital equivalent of picking at a wound. you know you should stop. you can't.
the doomscroll loop
- feel anxious about the state of things
- open phone to check if things are still bad
- things are still bad (confirmed)
- feel briefly satisfied that you're "informed"
- feel worse overall
- scroll more to find something that feels better
- it doesn't get better
- repeat until battery dies or shame kicks in
why we do it
information-seeking behavior gone wrong: our brains evolved to scan for threats. the internet provides infinite threats to scan.
illusion of control: knowing about bad things feels like being prepared for bad things. it's not, but it feels that way.
variable reward: occasionally you find something interesting or funny between the doom, which reinforces the scrolling behavior.
doomscrolling vs research
doomscrolling: consuming negative content with no purpose or end point research: consuming information to make a decision or take an action
if you can answer "what am i going to do with this information?" you're researching. if the answer is "nothing, i just need to know," you're doomscrolling.
for content creators
understanding doomscrolling is understanding your audience's state of mind. they're scrolling through garbage when they hit your post. you have one chance to break the pattern.
content that snaps people out of the doomscroll, that makes them laugh, think, or feel seen, is content they remember. you're not competing with other creators. you're competing with the scroll itself.
be the post that makes someone go "okay, i can close the app now." that's the highest compliment.