Word
doomscrolling
Phoneticsdoom·scrolling
/ˈdumˌskɹoʊlɪŋ/
Definition
n. the habit of spending a lot of time on your phone or computer reading bad news. Even if the news makes you feel sad or worried, you find it hard to stop looking at it.
n. the practice of obsessively scanning social media or news sites for negative information, despite the resulting feelings of anxiety or dread. A modern blend of 'doom' and 'scrolling'.
Examples
“I spent an hour doomscrolling before I finally went to sleep.”
“During the global health crisis, many people found themselves doomscrolling late into the night, unable to look away from the rising case numbers.”
“Psychologists suggest that doomscrolling stems from an evolutionary need to identify threats, yet in the digital age, this constant exposure to tragedy often leads to emotional exhaustion.”
Examples
simple
“I spent an hour doomscrolling before I finally went to sleep.”
contextual
“During the global health crisis, many people found themselves doomscrolling late into the night, unable to look away from the rising case numbers.”
complex
“Psychologists suggest that doomscrolling stems from an evolutionary need to identify threats, yet in the digital age, this constant exposure to tragedy often leads to emotional exhaustion.”
Usage
Often used as a gerund to describe the activity itself.
Real-World Examples
“What is doomscrolling and why are we attracted to bad news?” “Researchers surveyed 800 university students from the US and Iran and found that doomscrolling – or spending excessive time consuming negative news – was linked to feelings of existential anxiety, distrust and suspicion of others, and despair.” “Doomscrolling is the tendency to “continue to surf or scroll through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening or depressing”, a practice researchers found has boomed since the onset of the pandemic.” Etymology
From doom + scrolling, a compound coined for the habit of scrolling through news feeds and timelines while dissatisfied with the headlines. The practice was named, then popularised, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/doomscrolling