Doomscroll
Compulsively scrolling bad news or negative feeds — the habit that named a pandemic-era anxiety loop.
Definition
Doomscrolling (or doomscrolling) means endlessly scrolling through depressing news, outrage posts, or anxiety-inducing content even though it makes you feel worse. The verb captures the trance-like 'just one more headline' loop on Twitter, Reddit, or TikTok. It is both self-aware humor and a real description of how algorithmic feeds can trap attention during crises.
History
The term emerged in early 2020 during COVID-19 lockdowns when people spent hours refreshing pandemic updates and political news. Linguists and media outlets documented 'doomscrolling' by mid-2020; Merriam-Webster and Oxford tracked it as a defining word of the era. The habit predates the label — Twitter's real-time crisis feed made it visible.
Cultural scores
Editorial estimates of cultural weight — Current Popularity tracks how much people are posting about this now, not historical fame.
Current Popularity = how actively people are posting about this today. Influence = lasting footprint. Cringe = online reception. Brainrot = absurdist energy. How scoring works
Examples
- “It is 2 a.m. and I am doomscrolling again.”
- “Delete the app before you doomscroll through election night.”
- “My screen time report said 4 hours of doomscroll — I feel sick.”
Related entries
Culturally linked — not random recommendations.
Brainrot
SlangMental deterioration from consuming too much chaotic internet content — also the content itself. Oxford's Word of the Year 2024.
Touch Grass
Slang'Touch grass' is a dismissal telling someone to go outside and experience the real world — used when someone is clearly spending too much time online or getting too worked up about internet events.
FOMO
SlangFear of missing out — the social anxiety that keeps you refreshing Stories, streaks, and drop calendars.
This Is Fine
MemeKC Green's 2013 comic dog calmly sipping coffee in a burning room — the internet's favorite denial emoji.
References
Sources behind this entry. Prefer primary reporting and established culture archives over rumor.
- Doomscrolling — Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
- Doomscrolling — Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com