# Doomscrolling > Doomscrolling is a 2018 internet slang term coined on Twitter for the compulsive habit of scrolling through negative news and social media, popularized during COVID-19. Doomscrolling is the compulsive habit of endlessly scrolling through negative news and social media content, even when it makes you feel worse. The term was coined on Twitter in October 2018 and exploded into mainstream vocabulary during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when millions of people found themselves glued to their phones consuming an endless feed of bad news. It was recognized as an official dictionary word by Merriam-Webster in September 2023[4]. ## Origin The earliest known use of "doomscrolling" appeared on October 7, 2018, when Twitter user @Callamitys posted: "Taking a break from doomscrolling and being inundated with things and stuff. I'll be back tuesday or something. Here's a thing I'm making"[3]. According to Wikipedia, the term was coined by Ashik Siddique, now co-chair of Democratic Socialists of America[4]. The word sat mostly dormant for over a year before finding its moment. Finance reporter Karen Ho of Quartz said she first encountered the term in a Twitter post from October 2018, noting that "the practice of doomscrolling is almost a normalized behavior for a lot of journalists"[2]. - **Platform:** Twitter (coined), widespread across all social media - **Creator:** @Callamitys (earliest known usage on Twitter) - **Date:** 2018 ## Overview Doomscrolling describes the act of compulsively consuming negative online content, scrolling through social media feeds or news sites despite the toll it takes on your mental health[3]. The "doom" part captures the dark, anxiety-inducing nature of the content, while "scrolling" refers to the endless thumb-flicking motion on phones that keeps people locked in[4]. The behavior is closely tied to infinite scroll design on platforms like Twitter, Reddit, and TikTok, which eliminate natural stopping points and keep users engaged longer[4]. What separates doomscrolling from regular news consumption is the compulsive, self-destructive quality. You know the content is making you feel terrible, but you keep going anyway. As one Urban Dictionary definition put it: "The amount of time spent doing this is directly proportional to how much worse you're going to feel after you're done"[3]. ## How It Spread Doomscrolling's breakout came in March 2020 as COVID-19 hit the United States. On March 14, 2020, Twitter user @emuehlbe reintroduced the term, writing: "I know language work isn't the hot topic right now, but I'm recommending it strictly as a coping mechanism: do you want to keep nervously doomscrolling #onhere or do you want to brush up on that language you keep saying you want to work on?" The tweet picked up over 300 likes[3]. Six days later, New York Times tech reporter Kevin Roose wrote about "doomsurfing," the alternate form of the word, describing "falling into deep, morbid rabbit holes filled with coronavirus content, agitating myself to the point of physical discomfort, erasing any hope of a good night's sleep"[1]. On March 24, 2020, Urban Dictionary user PenelopePenguin submitted a definition that received over 220 upvotes[3]. By mid-2020, the term had gone fully mainstream. In July 2020, NPR ran a segment featuring clinical psychologist Dr. Amelia Aldao, who called doomscrolling part of a "vicious cycle of negativity." She explained: "Our minds are wired to look out for threats. The more time we spend scrolling, the more we find those dangers, the more we get sucked into them, the more anxious we get"[2]. Karen Ho began tweeting daily reminders for people to stop doomscrolling, turning it into a small public health campaign on Twitter[2]. The term kept surging alongside major news events. On October 6, 2020, Twitter user @matthewamiller tweeted "Elect Joe Biden so you can read books at night again rather than endlessly doomscrolling twitter," pulling in over 331,000 likes and 50,000 retweets[3]. Then on January 6, 2021, during the storming of the U.S. Capitol, @Q_KingWV tweeted "Sorry boss I can't work I am doomscrolling the coup attempt," which racked up over 296,000 likes and 40,000 retweets in less than a month[3]. Dictionary.com selected doomscrolling as the top monthly trend in August 2020, and the Macquarie Dictionary named it the 2020 Committee's Choice Word of the Year[4]. ## How to Use Doomscrolling isn't a meme template in the traditional sense. It's a shared vocabulary word that people use to: 1. **Self-identify** — "I was up until 3am doomscrolling again" is a common confession format on Twitter and Reddit 2. **Call out the behavior** — "Put the phone down, stop doomscrolling" as a gentle or sarcastic nudge 3. **Make jokes about current events** — Pairing "doomscrolling" with whatever disaster is trending, as in "Sorry boss I can't work I am doomscrolling the coup attempt"[3] 4. **Meme about the cycle** — Images or text posts about knowing you should stop but being unable to, often using existing meme formats ## Cultural Impact Doomscrolling crossed from internet slang into legitimate medical and psychological discourse faster than most online terms. NPR, the New York Times, and numerous mental health professionals adopted the word when discussing pandemic-era anxiety[1][2]. Clinical psychologists like Dr. Amelia Aldao began specifically addressing doomscrolling in therapy sessions and public health messaging[2]. The term's rapid institutionalization was remarkable. Dictionary.com featured it as a top trend in August 2020, the Macquarie Dictionary named it Word of the Year for 2020, and Merriam-Webster officially recognized it in September 2023[4]. Researchers at the Cyprus University of Technology and other institutions published peer-reviewed studies specifically examining doomscrolling as a behavioral pattern linked to platform design and algorithmic incentives[4]. The concept also fueled broader conversations about tech accountability and platform design. Aza Raskin's regret over inventing infinite scrolling became a frequently cited example of unintended consequences in UX design[4]. Usability researchers began classifying infinite scroll as an accessibility issue, noting the absence of stopping cues as a pathway to problematic smartphone use[4]. ## Fun Facts - The word sat almost entirely unused for about 17 months between its October 2018 coinage and its March 2020 explosion[3]. - Despite 31% of American adults admitting to regular doomscrolling in 2024, many people who denied the behavior were later found to be doing it anyway[4]. - "Doomscrolling" took only five years to go from a single tweet to an official Merriam-Webster dictionary entry[4]. - The January 6, 2021 Capitol storming tweet about doomscrolling got nearly 300,000 likes in under a month, making it one of the most viral uses of the word[3]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is doomscrolling? Doomscrolling is the compulsive habit of scrolling through negative news and social media content for extended periods, even though it worsens your mood and mental health[2][4]. ### Where did doomscrolling come from? The term first appeared in an October 7, 2018 tweet by Twitter user @Callamitys[3]. It went mainstream during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020[4]. ### What does doomscrolling mean? It combines "doom" (dark, fatalistic content) with "scrolling" (the act of swiping through social media feeds), describing the self-destructive cycle of consuming bad news compulsively[4]. ### How do you use doomscrolling? People typically use it to describe their own behavior ("I was doomscrolling until 2am"), call out the habit in others, or make jokes about being unable to stop consuming bad news during major events[3]. ### Is doomscrolling still popular? Yes. A 2024 Morning Consult survey found that 31% of American adults doomscroll regularly, with 51% of Gen Z and 46% of millennials reporting the habit[4]. ### What's the difference between doomscrolling and doomsurfing? They mean the same thing. "Doomsurfing" uses the older internet term "surfing" and was popularized by NYT reporter Kevin Roose in March 2020, while "doomscrolling" became the more widely adopted version[1][3]. ### Who coined the term doomscrolling? The earliest known usage was by Twitter user @Callamitys on October 7, 2018[3]. Wikipedia attributes the coinage to Ashik Siddique[4]. ### Why is doomscrolling bad for you? Clinical psychologist Dr. Amelia Aldao explained that it creates a "vicious cycle of negativity" where threat-seeking behavior feeds anxiety, which drives more scrolling[2]. A National Academy of Sciences study linked the practice to declines in both mental and physical health[4]. ### When did doomscrolling become a real word? Merriam-Webster officially added "doomscrolling" to its dictionary in September 2023, after three years on its "watching" list[4]. Dictionary.com had featured it as a top trend back in August 2020[4]. ### How does infinite scrolling contribute to doomscrolling? Infinite scrolling removes natural stopping points (like page breaks), making it easier to keep consuming content without pause. Designer Aza Raskin, credited with the concept, later called it "one of the first products designed to deliberately keep [users] online for as long as possible"[4]. ### Which generation doomscrolls the most? Gen Z leads at 51%, followed by millennials at 46%, according to a 2024 Morning Consult survey. The overall rate across all American adults was 31%[4]. ## References 1. [The Week in Tech: How to Stop Coronavirus ‘Doomsurfing’ - The New York Times]() 2. [Your 'Doomscrolling' Breeds Anxiety. Here's How To Stop The Cycle : NPR]() 3. [Doomscrolling - Know Your Meme]() 4. [Doomscrolling]() 5. [Doomscrolling - Urban Dictionary]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/doomscrolling Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library