In the 1960s, American President Johnson complained to Time magazine editor Henry Luce that his publication was not reporting all the positive things that were happening in America. “Mr. President,” replied Luce, “good news isn’t news. Bad news is news.” This negative bias still holds true today: just watch the evening news, or read a newspaper, or scroll through your social media feeds. Bad news is more prevalent and, more worryingly, it can also become addictive. In fact, many people end up compulsively reading an endless stream of reports about natural disasters, crimes, economic crises and political turmoil. This obsessive consumption of bad news is called doomscrolling.

Why do we doomscroll?

Doomscrolling is a morbid habit that makes us feel depressed, anxious, fearful, as well as hostile and suspicious towards others. Furthermore, it makes us feel helpless, which leads us to become passive and resigned. So how can this horrible practice be addictive? To answer this question, we first need to look at our ancient past. Our prehistoric ancestors learned that to survive in a hostile world they had to pay more attention to potential threats than to the pleasant aspects of life. We inherited this survival mechanism, and this is why bad news can feel so compelling. Secondly, we need to examine our news sources. News websites and social media are designed to keep us interested in their content; they are experts at keeping us hooked, for example by offering us constant updates on their never-ending coverage of catastrophes, crises and tragedies.

Hi, are you doomscrolling?

Doomscrolling became a word in 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. American journalist Karen Ho played a role in popularizing the term. She regularly tweeted to her followers to stop doomscrolling about Covid. She then created a reminder Bot that sends tweets like this one: “Hi are you doomscrolling? Is there a hobby you can do instead, like a craft or tending to your plants? You still deserve time to rest and recover.” This is probably one of the best recommendations if you have an unhealthy relationship with technology: switch off your devices and engage with the real world by doing something simple and concrete.

Strategies against doomscrolling

Nonetheless, it’s important not to give up on reading the news altogether. It simply needs to be done wisely. To prevent doomscrolling, you should avoid getting news from content producers who tend to focus on controversial or sensationalistic news. You should remove negative or aggressive content from your social media feeds. And maybe you could set a timer to limit your time online. Also, you might consider consulting news sources that focus on positive and uplifting stories. There are plenty on the internet. As the website Positive.News states, good news gives people “a fuller picture of reality, supports their wellbeing and empowers them to make a positive difference.”

Solutions journalism

Positive.News’ statement raises an important question: should journalism simply report, or should it stimulate its readers into action? In recent years, a new form of reporting has emerged that does just that: solutions journalism. This new approach to reporting aims to do more than just present problems. Instead, it explores effective actions taken by individuals or communities to address them. For example, a solutions journalist might report on a neighborhood plagued by crime while also highlighting the social programs aimed at reducing it. Another might cover the destruction of a forest by wildfires, but emphasize the subsequent reforestation initiatives. Solutions journalism aims to inspire a sense of agency and optimism in its readers. Learning about solutions makes us feel more hopeful and empowered, enabling us to engage effectively with problems, even when immediate solutions aren’t apparent. At the end of the day, solutions journalism might be one of the best antidotes to doomscrolling, transforming passive consumers of news into active citizens.

(Carlo Dellonte)
(Image: Pixabay)