doomscrolling

Or doom-scroll·ing

[doom-skroh-ling]

noun

Digital Technology.

1. the practice of obsessively checking 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 doomscrolling¹

First recorded in 2016; doomscroll ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Whether it’s doomscrolling through endless social-media feeds or turning to AI to complete tasks in seconds that once took hours, efficiency has become our default expectation.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It’s for the reasons we expect: financial uncertainty, doomscrolling, general malaise.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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.”

Read more on Salon

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.

Read more on Salon