Doomscrolling is a term I first came across in the early days of the pandemic.
It denotes the process of moving through text on a computer or phone screen, typically on social media, to keep up to troublesome or ominous events.
The interesting times we’re living in may be the heyday of doomscrolling.
For instance, military analysts say there is a real chance Russian President Vladimir Putin will use tactical nuclear bombs if the war continues to tilt in Ukraine’s favour and that the world is closer now to a nuclear conflict then any point since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962.
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Praying for rain is being replaced with the hope that rain can stop for harvest. Rainfall in July and early August has been much greater than normal.
Closer to home, Canadian doctors and nurses say the health system is approaching a breaking point.
Meanwhile, health experts say there are a few new COVID variants many of us will likely meet this winter, and it’s unclear which public health tools authorities will be able to use to protect us.
Scroll on to see what will happen next.
Scientists have warned for years of catastrophic results if the world reaches average temperatures 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels, and a 2022 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s said we will reach this level within the next two decades.
Some people doomscroll to look for the latest information on whether the World Economic Forum is monitoring them with tracking chips that were injected with vaccines.
They probably need to scroll deep into the bowels of the internet for information on that one.
There’s the worrisome polarization of the Canadian public and the rise of “unserious politicians” who are uninterested in expert opinions, or to even try to understand the nuances of complex issues.
Fear of overreach by the federal government keeps other people scrolling late into the evening and we may as well include a stock market crash, an impending drought, and a supply chain nightmare.
It is important to stay informed on issues of consequence, but I’m pretty sure doomscrolling isn’t healthy.
If you find that you’ve fallen into a pit of doomscrolling, try to remember that winding yourself up will not help to resolve these issues.
You might instead want to reduce your use of social media and circle back to a neglected hobby and read physical books or newspapers because these provide a needed break from screens.
