Doomscroll
Meaning: Compulsively scrolling through negative news on social media.
Doomscrolling perfectly captures a modern paradox: seeking information to reduce anxiety while actually increasing it. The infinite scroll of bad news creates a compulsive loop—you can't stop because stopping feels like looking away from danger, yet continuing only deepens the dread. The term resonated because it named something many people recognized but couldn't articulate: that helpless, hypnotized consumption of catastrophe.
Examples
- I spent three hours doomscrolling last night. 昨晚我刷了三个小时负面新闻。Pasé tres horas anoche haciendo doomscrolling.昨夜3時間もドゥームスクローリングしてしまった。어젯밤에 3시간이나 둠스크롤링을 해버렸다.
- Stop doomscrolling—it's not helping. 别再刷负面消息了——没有用。Deja de hacer doomscrolling, no te ayuda.ドゥームスクローリングをやめろ——何の助けにもならない。둠스크롤링 그만해 — 아무 도움이 안 돼.
- The news is triggering my doomscrolling habit. 新闻又触发了我刷负面消息的习惯。Las noticias están activando mi hábito de doomscrolling.ニュースがドゥームスクローリングの癖を刺激してくる。뉴스가 둠스크롤링 습관을 자극한다.
Pronunciation
/duːmskrəʊl/
Usage Guide
Context: mental health, social media, news
Tone: self-aware, slightly humorous
✓ Do Say
- Caught myself doomscrolling发现自己又在刷负面新闻了Me pillé haciendo doomscrollingドゥームスクローリングしている自分に気づいた또 둠스크롤링을 하고 있었다
- Need to stop doomscrolling我得停止刷负面新闻了Tengo que dejar de hacer doomscrollingドゥームスクローリングをやめなきゃ둠스크롤링을 멈춰야 한다
✗ Don't Say
- Don't use for normal news checking—doomscrolling implies compulsive, harmful behavior不要用于正常的查看新闻——doomscrolling 暗含强迫性的、有害的行为No lo uses para consultar noticias normalmente: el doomscrolling implica un comportamiento compulsivo y perjudicial普通にニュースをチェックすることには使わない——ドゥームスクローリングは強迫的で有害な行為を意味する일반적인 뉴스 확인에는 사용하지 말 것 — 둠스크롤링은 강박적이고 해로운 행동을 암시함
- Avoid as a joke if someone is genuinely distressed by news如果某人真的因新闻而痛苦,不要拿来开玩笑Evita usarlo como broma si alguien está genuinamente angustiado por las noticiasニュースに本当に苦しんでいる人に対して冗談として使わない뉴스에 진심으로 괴로워하는 사람에게 농담으로 사용하지 말 것
Common Mistakes
- The word describes a self-aware but hard-to-break habit—knowing it's harmful doesn't make stopping easy
- Related: 'doomsurfing' exists but 'doomscrolling' dominates because of mobile scroll interfaces
Origin & History
The word emerged in early 2020, coined independently by multiple people as COVID-19 and political upheaval created endless streams of alarming content. It was named 2020's word of the year by several dictionaries. The term combines 'doom' (impending catastrophe) with 'scroll' (the infinite-scroll interface of social media). Its rapid adoption showed how many people recognized this newly named but already familiar behavior.
Etymology: Doom + scroll, coined around 2020
First recorded: 2020
Cultural Context
Era: 2020 onwards
Generation: Millennials and Gen Z
Social background: Universal
Pop culture: COVID-19 pandemic; Mental health discourse
Regional notes: Universal modern term.
Variations
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