How has the pandemic amplified doomscrolling? -

The post is written by Ashima Gupta of Law College, Dehradun.

Doomscrolling????

As we all know the meaning of ‘Doom’, it means darkness and evil and the word ‘scrolling’ means that an individual cannot stay on one article and he\she keeps scrolling to the different articles. The practice of doomscrolling has gained momentum during the time of pandemic. Pandemic has affected the individual physically, mentally and emotionally. During the time of pandemic, all of us have a lot of time as we can not step out of the house.

So what are we doing in this critical time?

The answer is internet surfing. In this difficult time, we are lying comfortably on our beds and scrolling the social media applications. In this pandemic we all are curious to know more about the virus and all the updates regarding this like number of deaths because of this Covid-19 situation, number of cases of black fungus, white fungus etc. All these negative news are really depressing and traumatizing.

Before this pandemic, a lot of people were using social media apps but now because of this lockdown situation, people of all ages are on these apps. And because of this usage, this negative news has taken a toll on the minds of the people.

Adoration and Acceptance….

The time of pandemic is really critical and very monotonous. When the lockdown was announced, there was an unknown anxiety in the individual because of this situation. There was a lack of information about the virus and precautionary measures that need to be taken into consideration. So, all were dependent on the news that was flashing on these apps. But not all the information on these sites are true. So a lot of fake news was widely spread that created a terror in the mind of the individual.

Now it can be widely noticed that people of all ages are on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. While the internet can be a life savior, there are pros and cons of everything. So during this pandemic we all are scrolling our apps. People are having blind trust on the news that are flashing on these apps. There were obstructions in the print media about the information and precautionary measures. Because of this, social media boomed in the period of lockdown as people were sitting and scrolling through the social media apps.

People are having access to the internet and are having more leisure time.

The above discussed matter is the real reason for the doomscrolling that has been amplified because of the pandemic. As humans we are driven towards negative news, but we will not accept this. When Sushant Singh Rajput died, we all were very interested. We all definitely, including myself, were very eager to know the details of the case. On all the Insta stories, we all posted our condolences.

This shows why doomscrolling has gained momentum and how we are attracted to the negative news. There are many case which will support that doomscrolling has gained popularity in recent times. You keep scrolling and scrolling but it creates a negative impact on the mind which in-turn makes us feel miserable. It also triggers our anxiety, depression and emotional instability. This doomscrolling existed before the pandemic also but it has taken a toll recently. People can doomscroll actively about the deaths occurring, unemployment rate etc. but basically it is really affecting our mind. It makes one anxious, depressed, isolated and it further affects the mood of the individual.

Potential Pitfalls …..

In my opinion, mental health is what we all are striving for in this pandemic. There is a terror in each and every individual mind about the whole situation. And trust me this doomscrolling is really making the situation worse. And doomscrolling is not a good idea if you are seeking for good mental health. There is no real investment in doomscrolling, it just makes you depressed. It makes you paranoid around the world.

Introspection is the one word which is really taken for granted. But introspection is really important for every human because we never show the real you to the world, we just fake it. So to be in touch with your real self, introspection is important. It calms your mind and makes your soul peaceful. These negative news really interrupts your mind processor makes you a negative thinker. You might not consciously aware about this but somewhere we know that it affect us that too negatively.

Sometimes we are not aware of what is affecting our mind, psyche but when we go to sleep, lay on our beds… we tend to think about all the negative news. This not only affects our mental health but our sleep cycle is also disturbed. When we close our eyes, we see all the terrible images. Because of this we gets being grumpy.

Stop this practice…..how to do it?

When this situation of pandemic came across we all tended to search when the virus will end. I myself as a student have searched when the schools and college will resume. But we need to curb this habit of doomscrolling asap. We need to make a routine for using social media as well. For the initial phase start by making a rule that before going to bed, we will not use our device. And after getting up, for at least a half hour or so don’t use your device. Try reading books that will increase your knowledge as well as increase your creative thought process.

Another way to stop doomscrolling is to try to think positive and try to make this positive. This will boost your positive hormones. This will not come naturally, you have to work on it. Start this by doing three positive things like gardening, spending time with your family, have a heart to heart conversation with your friends.

Try to think positively about the person you meet in your daily life. It will give you a positive vibe and the same vibe will be reciprocated. Try to talk to your dad about the emotional aspect of life, I am sure he will give you a completely different perspective about life.

At last, I know things are not in our control right now but doomscrolling on a regular basis is not good for our mental health. This practice has to be stopped by taking minor steps. One day you will be positive and situation around us will also get better.

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