Senior Noah Thompson said he gravitates toward Twitter for news. He said he wanted to stay informed about COVID-19 during quarantine, but updates made him feel “automatically weighed down by fear.”

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, doomscrolling is the new term describing the tendency to constantly scroll through negative feeds of bad news. Dr. Janet Johnson — who has 20-plus years experience in journalism and media studies — says people tend to obsessively seek out bad news during a crisis. Johnson, who is faculty of The University of Texas at Dallas, says this phenomenon is damaging to our mental health.

Thompson said he was eager to seek hope while scrolling through COVID-19 news, yet his anxiety climbed from continuous negative threads.

“These news articles cannot provide positive answers, hope, or reassurance from the COVID-19 virus,” Thompson said. “Many articles depict people who are angry about avoiding large social gatherings or having to wear a mask in a public setting.”

According to Brian X. Chen, a technology writer for The New York Times, “[Doomscrolling] activity can make us angry, anxious, depressed, unproductive and less connected with our loved ones and ourselves.”

Chen describes the doomscrolling experience as “sinking into emotional quicksand” and said former surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy recommends controlling news consumption time — especially during a pandemic.

Senior Autumn Colombo is a communication major who hasn’t taken a break during quarantine—she took summer classes and went back to work in May. In her free time, though, her indulgence is Youtube and TikTok. “You can scroll through [TikTok] for hours and completely forget what you’re doing,” Colombo said. “There’s also a lot of different content on there so it’s hard to lose interest.”

Colombo typically retrieves her news from Twitter and says she likes to read articles from Detroit Free Press or The Guardian. Having read stories from credible sources, Colombo agreed that she still could not escape doomscrolling.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Colombo said she was increasingly overwhelmed by media.

“Information was new every day,” Colombo said. “Every social media and news outlet was talking with different information, and it was really difficult to keep up or to believe what anyone was saying.”

Colombo said she felt overwhelmed with “stress and anxiety” and admitted to deleting the Twitter app on multiple occasions during quarantine.

She said she spoke to a therapist who recommended this technique.

“I’d have to go and redownload the app, which gives me time to think about if I’m ready to do that yet or not,” Colombo said. “In the meantime, I would watch YouTube videos or hang out with my friends (outside and socially distanced).”

Credibility of News

There are perceptions that the media seems to be littered with fake news, but it’s not completely true. According to Science Advances’ April 2020 research article, “fake news comprises only 0.15% of Americans’ daily media diet.”

Johnson says it can be simple to identify false information in a news article, “Always check your source, credibility is everything.”

Journalists pride themselves on copy editing. Look out for any spelling or grammar errors or all capital  headlines that trigger emotions. If an article seems misleading, check the URL to see where the information is coming from.

Because consumers tend to be attracted to conflict or bad news, reporters can angle stories in certain ways to grab the public’s attention.

“Conflict is one of the primary elements of news,” OU Journalism Director Garry Gilbert said. “The for-profit media…put too much emphasis on conflict and drama, because editors and marketers know that conflict and drama help drive broadcast ratings, bring eyeballs to our websites and sell print publications.”

It is important to scrutinize photo and video footage; these can be easily manipulated and are not always reality. Readers can also use this 60 second credibility guide to help identify media bias.

Doomscroller Versus Browser

Readers shouldn’t constantly have ill feelings after scrolling through news. “[Doomscrolling is] whenever you lose track of time and you’re not seeking out information from credible news sources to get the full story,” Johnson said.

Senior Jeffrey Thomas opened up about his quarantine and doomscrolling struggles.

“The initial six to eight weeks of the pandemic was hard,” Thomas said. “I was already having a hard time and the constant newsfeed of the virus just added to that weight.”

Thomas said he lost a close friend in March and that the mainstream media was not helping aid his anxiety.

“By the time I finished the winter semester I had to disconnect from social media and the news completely as I tried to process all that was happening in the world,” Thomas said.

The Rabbit-Hole of Doomscrolling: Social Media

Dr. Erin Meyers, associate professor of communication at OU, teaches courses that focus on the relationship between media and culture.

“So many people get news from social media these days because it is an easy way to integrate news into your daily routines,” Meyers said. “While social media makes that easier, it also can be a tricky space where misinformation can proliferate and we can get sucked into a negative news cycle.”

Meyers said that social media is not entirely awful. She said you should always be checking for bias and false information “no matter what social media or news platform you are using.”

“It is a tool, and how that tool is used and for what ends is important,” Meyers said. “But if you aren’t thinking critically or recognizing how misinformation can easily spread through these tools, then it can be a problem.”

Meyers said that she believes the Black Lives Matter movement has grown because of social media. That social media is “connecting people who would not have easily found each other before, building coalitions and helping to shed light on issues that have long been swept under the rug.” She said she is proud of the OU students who use social media to advocate for change.

Senior Autumn Colombo said she doesn’t believe social media is all toxic either, “…there is often hate and misinformation spread on social media, but I believe that it also can foster communication and growth between communities.”

It’s not just COVID-19 news people are doomscrolling through. Colombo said she tried to have a positive outlook towards scrolling through election news.

“I believe social media can be a place to understand both sides of an argument, and watch people break down piece-by-piece why they support who and what policies they see as most important,” Colombo said. “I believe it’s the first real opportunity for the people to have a voice, as opposed to the news outlets that dominated the political space for so long.”

Adhere with Advocacy 

Dr. Chiaoning Su specializes in media studies and urges students to use social media as a platform to create change. She said that social media offers us emotional engagement.

“When students read news on social media, they are not just informed of the event, but they also share an effective experience with other users when they read through the comments,” Su said.

She said she was “pleased” to see students share “social protests-oriented posts” on social media outlets such as Facebook and Instagram.

“[Students] also use social media to directly advocate for social change,” Su said. “In recent weeks, Tyler Dixon started a petition online to ask OU to make “Biobutton” optional for the coming fall semester and he succeeded. I am very inspired by the spirit and activism manifested in the younger generation.”

Nonprofit vs for profit media

Doomscrolling was dubbed by The New York Times because reporters said it plays off our emotions.

“Coverage of scandals, affairs, the personal lives and characters issues of public officials — rather than programs and policies — feeds the public’s distrust of our political leaders and of the media,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert said editors employed by non-profit media organizations are less likely to have pressure to attract audiences “for sake of advertisers.” Nonprofit media can “devote more resources to news that’s meant for the public good.”

If someone wants a simple way to break the doomscrolling habit, they can consider switching up the sources they follow for news. The power of doomscrolling can die in the consumer’s hands.

One of Gilbert’s favorite nonprofit, non-partisan sources is called BridgeMi.com. They specialize in explanatory journalism and Gilbert said they “employ some of the state’s very best reporters.”

OU Resources

This year, OU students are going back-to-school during a global pandemic. Students have enough to worry about without news anxiety.

The OU Counseling Center is located in Graham Health Center (GHC). Students can receive six free sessions with licensed psychologists or interns.

Another option is the SEHS Counseling Center, which is a no-commitment, no-cost counseling center where students can receive therapy from master’s level counseling students.

SEHS Counseling is currently offering virtual appointments for students and all services will be provided remotely through video sessions and telephone support. Applications are on OU’s website if a student wishes to talk with someone.

“Anxious thoughts cannot survive under reassurance from the people who love you,” Thompson said.