How harmful is doomscrolling really?

The constant consumption of bad news and content on the Internet can have a negative impact on mental health. A study has now examined how negatively so-called doomscrolling actually affects the human psyche.

There can certainly be negative consequences when people spend too much time on social networks or on their smartphones in general. But if they only consume bad news, these factors can be exacerbated.

So-called doomscrolling, in which only bad content is consumed on social media and the like, can even lead to existential fears, as a study published in the Journal of Computers in Human Behavior Reports shows.

Doomscrolling leads to existential fear

For their study, researchers surveyed 800 students from the USA and Iran. They were able to determine that feelings such as existential fear, mistrust, suspicion of others and despair can be traced back to doomscrolling.

Reza Shabahang, the lead author of the study from Australia’s Flinders University, compares the constant confrontation with negative news in Guardian with a “source of vicarious trauma”. People are negatively affected even though they have never experienced this trauma themselves.

When we are constantly exposed to negative news and information on the Internet, it can threaten our belief in our own mortality and the control we have over our own lives.

In their study, the researchers led by Reza Shabahang found that doomscrolling can trigger bad thoughts. These include thoughts such as:

• life is fragile and limited
• people are basically alone
• they do not have full control over their lives

Study results need to be further investigated

However, due to the sample size, the researchers say the study is “not suitable for drawing clear conclusions about the nature of this connection.” Helen Christensen, Professor at the University of New South Wales, therefore described the study as “an interesting preliminary study, but the results could be biased due to the sample size.”

However, the results are “not surprising,” as Dr. Joanne Orlando, an expert in digital behavior at the University of Western Sydney, told Guardian says doomscrolling is like being in a room where you are constantly being shouted at and has similar effects on mental health.

It really impacts how you understand the world and your place in it.

That's why it's important that people deal with news on social media consciously. They should also be aware of the feelings they experience and therefore not consume news or scroll through social networks immediately after waking up.

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