Articles
Doomscrolling or doomsurfing is the act of spending an excessive amount of time reading large quantities of news, particularly negative news, on the web and social media.[1][2] The concept was coined around 2020, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Surveys and studies suggest doomscrolling is predominant among youth.[3][4] It can be considered a form of internet addiction disorder. In 2019, a study by the National Academy of Sciences found that doomscrolling can be linked to a decline in mental and physical health.[5] Numerous reasons for doomscrolling have been cited, including negativity bias, fear of missing out, increased anxiety, and attempts at gaining control over uncertainty. According to the Wall Street Journal, the term was first used in 2018.[11] The term continued to gain traction in the early 2020s[1][12] through events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the George Floyd protests, the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the storming of the U.S. Capitol in 2021, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine since 2022,[13] all of which have been noted to have exacerbated the practice of doomscrolling.[2][14][15] Doomscrolling became widespread among users of Twitter during the COVID-19 pandemic,[16] and has also been discussed in relation to the climate crisis.[17] A 2024 survey conducted by Morning Consult, concluded that approximately 31% of American adults doomscroll on a regular basis. This percentage is further exaggerated the younger the adults are, with ‘millennials’ (those born in the 1980s and early 1990s) at 46%, and ‘Gen Z’ (adults born in the late 1990s until the early 2010s) at 51%.[3]
