Doomscrolling is the act of continually scrolling through social media or news content, especially on your phone. This can last for hours on end and result in depressing, worrisome, and anxious thoughts.
Many kids, teenagers, college students, and adults (yes, the older generations are addicted to technology too, do not deny it) fall victim to participating in this act. It is a simple escape and a break away from reality and the stressors of life. But really, how much of a break is it?
A break should refresh you, not make you feel more tired, unmotivated, and scared about what’s next.
Let’s make this clear: I am in no way against social media. I love social media, and it can spread positivity. TikTok always gives me a good laugh, and the repost button hates to see me coming. I love sending wholesome videos to my friends about our friendship or future. I learn about new things to add to my travel bucket list or new songs to add to my playlist. I also work with social media all the time for Her Campus and love participating in fun trends and spreading sisterhood.
This is very different than doomscrolling. Doomscrolling is not the same as a quick one-hour watch session. But it can turn into that, and you must recognize that.
Today, I watched a whole three-minute first dance wedding video all the way through, liked it, and sent it to my friends. It was a super small wedding with pretty lights, a gorgeous bridal dress, and a fun song I liked; so, I stuck around, romanticizing about my own wedding someday. After that, every other video was wedding-related content.
Why am I telling you this? Because if you are in a depressed mood, looking to brighten up with TikTok, it is not going to help. You might just see one video about feeling down, watch it all the way through, like it, maybe even repost, and suddenly the rest of your “For You Page” is far from a hopeful mood that you were craving in the first place.
The algorithm is not always on your side with cute wedding videos. The doomscroll will start, and you are going to have a hard time pulling yourself out.
Do not look to social media or the news as a distraction. Find something else to replace those extra three hours you have in your day. You might still devote an hour to scrolling, but understand you can just swipe past videos without engaging, even if they are relatable to the emotion that is currently consuming you.
In that other time, you can paint, fish, walk, do yoga, play a sport, write, read a book, play an instrument, or learn a new game. Find a hobby that can refresh you, in a way that doomscrolling cannot promise.