doomscroll

Or doom-scroll

[doom-skrohl]

verb (used with or without object)

Digital Technology.

1. to obsessively check online news for updates, especially on social media feeds, with the expectation that the news will be bad, such that the feeling of dread from this negative expectation fuels a compulsion to continue looking for updates in a self-perpetuating cycle.

Word History and Origins

Origin of doomscroll¹

First recorded in 2015–20; doom ( def. ) + scroll ( def. ) (in the sense “to move text up, down, or across a display screen”); influenced by doomsday ( def. )

Example Sentences

Here’s the catch: School usually ends around 3 p.m., but doomscrolling doesn’t.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“This is a safe space to rest your head whenever the Internet gets too wild with doomscrolling.”

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Maybe the algorithm was nudging me, too, serving these headlines into my semi-regular doomscroll.

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Somewhat chastened by that thought, one went for a walk; the nearby Mount Vernon Trail might be a good place for distraction from doomscrolling in the imagination.

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And yes, the BBC Sport socials will still have you doomscrolling and laughing in equal measure.

Read more on BBC