Do you Doomscroll or Joyscroll?

If you ever find yourself trawling through media feeds without a pause, delving into the darkest news, you could be doomscrolling...

• The pandemic years have been marked by uncertainty. Researchers argue we have adopted habits of endless scrolling to find answers that may help us to make sense of everything that has happened.
• One study found, over this period that we are spending almost 50% more time on our phones than prior. This coupled with our Covid obsession in 2020-21 negativity has led to many of us doomscrolling.
• Doomscrolling is the process of searching for and immersing oneself within bad news and joyscrolling is the process of seeking out happy or optimistic content.
• Negativity bias plays a part in our doomscrolling habits. Humans have an evolutionary negativity bias which impacts our behavioural processes at a much higher rate than positive information.
• Throughout lockdown social media also enabled us to stay connected. Psychotherapist Elizabeth Beecroft explains that “we often gain a feeling of connection and being social by scrolling social media.”
• The concept of “joyscrolling” can aid in creating a more positive social media experience. It can also make us more aware of how doomscrolling can impact our emotional state.
• A balance is crucial: we can stay informed whilst balancing our scrolling habits with different kinds of more positive digital sensory experiences.