The doom of doom-scrolling: what doom-scrolling does to digital well-being
Doomscroling was deemed 2020’s word of the year in the Oxford English Dictionary (Chisholm & Caverly, 2022, p.57 ; Habahang et al., 2023, p.513). According to Punzalan et al., (2023) The action of thoughtlessly engaging in negative knowledge and materials on the internet, is also a brutal cycle of being immobilised to the act of gathering information despite knowing that the extent of which the knowledge is bad (Satici et al., 2023 as cited by Habahang et al., 2023). With losing self-control and the brutal cycle of doomscrolling, an emotional burden is placed on the individual, which has the ability to affect their well-being negatively (Saindon, 2021 as cited by Habahang et al., 2023). Therefore, this blog will discuss how the act of doom scrolling affects an individual’s digital well-being.
A video on YouTube titled “Doomscrolling” by Tommorrow’s World Viewpoint claims that “This newly defined obsession [doom-scrolling] is one that is raising alarm bells among physicians and psychologists”. They also mention: “Daily doom scrolling isn’t a wise idea if you’re striving for good mental health” and that: “It only makes you more anxious and paranoid about the world around you”. Meaning, serious psychological issues can emerge from the act of doomscrolling as it can lead to damaging the well-being of mental health.
It is no help that platforms are designed in a way that deliberately encourages scrolling addictions. Algorithms contain a timeline designed in a way that is distinctive to every user (Punzalan et al., 2024), making it easily very addictive.
Niall (2021, p.3828) confirms this theory, claiming that algorithms seek to magnify cost-effective user engagements on platforms that exploit the attention of users through manipulative techniques. There are various psychological harms that can advance from having a technology that is invasive, openly forceful or furtively habitual, including harming one’s identity development and self-image, one’s emotional health and spirituality, comprehension and intellectuality, relationships–both intimate and social, as well as the desire to live and having a future (Chisholm & Caverly, 2022, p.54)
If dooms-crolling can also lead to events of profound emotions such as anxiety, confusion, restlessness, fear and extreme discomfort that follow with issues in falling asleep and low quality of it, loss of appetite, indifference in activities and demotivation in completing daily tasks (Habahang et al., 2023, p.171), then who’s to blame?
It is assumed that digital well-being is the user’s responsibility and that is also inscribed by platforms themselves (Niall, 2021, p.3833), Yet, Chisholm & Caverly (2022, p.63) believe that because the compelling designs of platforms are unavoidable, they suggest that an ethical approach should be added to digital nudges to motivate healthier technology habits that both enhance revenue and user standards.
“Brain rot” is becoming a serious issue for Gen Z where men spend almost 6 hours online and women almost 7 (Boyle, 2024). Gen Z is also the loneliest generation according to studies (Chisholm & Caverly, 2022, p.55). There are actual studies from different academic institutions containing evidence that the grey matter in our brains are shrinking, our attention spans reducing, our memories dwindling and our cognitive abilities distorting (Boyle, 2024).
Boyle (2024) mentions why individuals aren’t fully to blame for the brain rot: “An online feed that constantly “refills” manipulates the brain’s dopaminergic reward system in a similar way. These powerful dopamine-driven loops of endless “seeking” can become addictive”
Guastello as cited by Laws (2025) mentions that technology companies create algorithms that cause us to scroll endlessly, “the same way junk food manufacturers study us to create foods we will keep eating even when we are not hungry.”
Therefore, the effects of reducing such habits such as doomscrolling that are turning from psychological to physical ones, should not only be a responsibilty of users themselves but also, on the technology companies who create such addictive and distracting designs across various social media platforms. We can not blame individuals for their habits without also holding these companies responsible.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear digital well-being is highly important in contemporary society where many young individuals are suffering from various psychological and physical harms as a result of the addiction to doom-scrolling. The deliberate addictive designs of technology companies need to be addressed in-order for new healthy and ethical approaches to be taken, to allow individuals to have the fair journey of overcoming this profound addiction.
As a society, we should also acknowledge the fact that these harmful online behaviours stem from structural factors that are happening in society that are causing these unbalanced emotions of well-being which therefore are being reflected in people’s habits across social media (Niall, 2021, p.3839)
Reference list:
Boyle, S. (2024) ‘Is doom scrolling really rotting our brains? The evidence is getting harder to ignore’ The Guardian (London). https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/dec/09/brain-rot-word-of-the-year-reality-internet-cognitive-function
Docherty, N. (2021) ‘Digital Self-Control and the Neoliberalization of Social Media Well-Being’, International journal of communication, 15, pp. 3827–3846. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764213479369
Chisholm, A. and Hartman-Caverly, S. (2022) ‘Privacy Literacy: From Doomscrolling to Digital Wellness’, Portal (Baltimore, Md.), 22(1), pp. 53–79. doi: 10.1353/pla.2022.0009.
Habahang, R. et al. (2023) ‘“Give Your Thumb a Break” from Surfing Tragic Posts: Potential Corrosive Consequences of Social Media Users’ Doomscrolling’, Media psychology, 26(4), pp. 460–479. doi: 10.1080/15213269.2022.215728
Laws, J. (2025) ‘Gen Z Has a Doomscrolling Problem’, News week , 11th May. Available at: https://www.newsweek.com/gen-z-doomscrolling-problem-2065999 (Accessed: 12th May 2025)
Punzalan et al., (2024) ‘Lost in the Feed: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Students on Doomscrolling’. International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Research and Studies. doi: 10.62225/2583049x.2024.4.3.2796.
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