How Does Doomscrolling Work?

Social media is designed to keep you scrolling -- but too much negative news can be, well, too much. Learn why we doomscroll and how you can stop in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/social-networking/networks/doomscrolling.htm

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of I Heart Radio. Hey
brain Stuff, Lauren boll Obam. Here, chances are you've done it.
Chase down a rabbit hole on your smartphone, compulsively scrolling
through posts and news feeds and videos and podcasts, lamenting,
staggering gas prices, self serving politicians, or the next crippling

(00:23):
aspect of whichever pandemic we're on now. This obsessive time
sucking activity is called doom scrolling, and you might want
to rein in your habit for The article of this
episode is based on has to Work. Spoke by email
with Jacob T. Fisher, Assistant professor in the College of
Media at the University of Illinois and an affiliate of

(00:43):
the Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology and the
Illinois Informatics Program. He explained that the term doom scrolling
describes quote a state in which someone feels an almost
obsessive drive to continuously scroll through their social media feeds,
paying at ten and to distressing, depressing, or generally negative information.

(01:06):
Wild doomscrolling could involve a mix of good and bad news.
It's usually the bad, negative, tragic, or sad news that
keeps us scrolling How stuff works. Also spoke by email
with psychologist Joshua Claypo, PhD. He said, quote, we will
bypass positive news when we are in a doomscrolling state
of mind. Coincidentally or not, the rise of the term

(01:30):
doomscrolling also coincides with the development of social media algorithms
to better understand the viewing habits of users. A Fisher said,
it's pretty generally agreed on that it first started to
become popular on Twitter in the late twenty teens, but
the term didn't break out into general usage until the
beginnings of the COVID nineteen pandemic. That said, doomscrolling is

(01:53):
hardly a new concept. Remember nine eleven. If you remember
nine eleven, millions of Americans sat glued to their televisions
watching the terrorist attacks against the United States unfold. And
we've all seen the way traffic slows down to gawk
at the aftermath of a car crash and play. Po
pointed to the old headline news idiom If it bleeds,

(02:13):
it leads. But now we're not restricted to news hours
or even seven news channels. Smartphones give us notifications to
tragedies in real time, providing both professionally produced news and
running commentary from other media consumers at our fingertips. So
what makes us so curious? Clay Post said, it's borne

(02:35):
out of a very primal evolutionary behavior. We are drawn
towards sad, bad, dangerous, and tragic news because it serves
a protective purpose. He explained that our brains are hardwired
to be inquisitive about things we perceive as bad so
that we can learn from them on a subconscious level.
Fisher said that social media companies know this and have

(02:56):
created algorithms to keep people scrolling a The more you
look at a certain genre of content, the more likely
you are to get that content in your feed as
you keep scrolling. Doom Scrolling is rarely an intentional action,
though Clay Poe called it quote more of an obsession
than an addiction. Obsessions are defined as ritualistic routines that

(03:19):
become a part of everyday life. They're generally rooted in
fear that if the routine isn't followed, something bad might happen.
So what might doom scrollers be afraid of? According to
a University of Florida study, doom scrolling is often associated
with the fear of missing out or FOMO, which results
in a desire to remain constantly connected to one's smartphone.

(03:42):
They also found that men and young people were more
apt to be doomscrollers, as were the politically engaged, but
that left leaners and right leaners were equally prone to
the obsession. The researchers weren't so much focused on the
emotional effects of doom scrolling, so they couldn't conclude whether
the action causes anxiety. However, they did suggest that doom

(04:03):
scrolling and anxiety may feed off of each other regardless,
Wallowing in negative information for hours on end can hack
away at your emotional well being. The clay Posts said
this can lead to quote negative affect, cynicism about the world,
irritation and anger, and an overall emotional state of negativity

(04:24):
that often sticks for hours or days after doomscrolling. It
clouds our perception of the world by drawing us into
the real world, but only one part, the negative part.
So how do we stop? Keep in mind that doomscrolling
is an unconscious behavior, a clay Post said, we need
to be snapped out of it. Sounds competing behaviors, changes

(04:47):
in our routine all will help prevent the situation where
we find ourselves an hour later having scrolled and scrolled
and scrolled. Some experts suggest setting an alarm that limits
your scrolling time or leaving your smartphone in another room
for a while. However, Fisher said it's important to remember
that social media sites are painstakingly designed by some of

(05:08):
the world's brightest and most well paid people to be
attention grabbing and attention keeping, so it may feel like
you're fighting an uphill battle. He continued, I believe social
media and other big tech companies have a responsibility to
ensure that their users have the ability to structure their
digital lives in a way that lets them retain agency
over their attention and focus on things that matter to them.

(05:31):
A doom scrolling, like other potentially detrimental information seeking and
sharing practices online, is often framed as individual responsibility, but
it's important to see it as a natural outflow of
the business model that powers social media. Here's another idea.
Add a couple of mobile games to the home screen
of your phone and reach for those instead of your

(05:52):
news or social media apps. A columnist for Wired found
that this cure in her doom scrolling and didn't turn
into another giant time Stuff. Today's episode is based on
the article doom scrolling is messing with your mind, but
you can break the habit on how stuff works dot Com,
written by Jennifer Walker. Journey brain Stuff is production of

(06:15):
by Heart Radio in partnership with how stuff Works dot Com,
and it's produced by Tyler Klang. For more podcasts from
my heart Radio, visit the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.