When research comes out around the relationship between social media use and mental health outcomes, the news usually isn’t good. In fact, most of us know by now that spending too much time on social media isn’t good for us. One of the social media use patterns that has been identified as problematic is called “Doom-scrolling”. Basically, this happens when you’re stuck going down a rabbit hole of negative news or content.
There are lots of ways this can look. For example, you may come across something that disturbs you on social media so you watch the video. You might end up looking in the comments of the video, going to the account page of the video to watch more content. You might google the issue featured in the video and read articles or watch more videos.
Whatever the case, you likely end up consuming content hours after the initial video with little recollection of how you got there. You might also notice a pit in your stomach and a deep sadness, fear, or anger about the state of the world. Too often spent in that mental state, and our overall mental health can suffer
So why don’t we just stop? Why is social media a growing multi-billion dollar industry?
The short answer is that it’s designed to be addictive. These massive companies with equally massive resources make more money if you spend more time on their app, and they’ve found the right formula to keep eyes glued to their content for hours. The algorithms that decide what you see are constantly learning what you’re attracted to and feeding as much to you as they can.
It’s important to keep in mind that this doesn’t have to be content you enjoy, just content that grabs your attention. Something that makes you angry is just as good at keeping your attention as something that gives you warm fuzzies.This artificial intelligence has learned how our brains work, and it is extremely effective at grabbing and keeping your attention.
There are a few reasons we engage in doom-scrolling. The explanation researchers most often give stems from anxiety and our coping strategies. Our brains evolved in an environment where threats were immediate and concrete (think lions or winter’s cold), things we could assess and prepare for. Our anxiety’s function was to trigger a programmed response to these threats: prepare for them (build a fence, stock up on food). Once our preparations were complete, our anxiety stood down because its function was complete, we were back in an acceptable amount of control of the future.
In the modern world, threats like climate change, economic insecurity, or a pandemic are neither immediate nor concrete in the way a lion is. The world may have changed a lot in the last 100 years, but our brains haven’t. When we feel anxiety, sadness, or anger over a perceived danger, we are compelled to prepare and try to regain an acceptable amount of control. This preparation often takes the form of information gathering on the perceived danger, and the greater the anxiety, the greater the need to prepare. Combine this tendency with a permanently out of control world and an algorithm that detects and feeds your emotion-fueled attention, and you get doom-scrolling.
Another possible reason for this behaviour is the rise in social justice culture. More and more our social status and virtue are judged by how much we know about, or respond to, world issues. This can motivate us to learn as much as possible about these issues, topics that generally make us scared, angry, or sad. It’s easy to see how a lot of time spent looking at what’s wrong with the world could leave someone in an unpleasant emotional state.
Now that you understand what is driving this behaviour, here are a few strategies to avoid it:
- Use technology to your advantage
- Set timers – One of the best ways to lower the negative effects of social media is simply to use it less. Most phones now come with the ability to limit the amount of time you spend on a specific app. Once you’ve reached your limit, find something else to do. Maybe even take it as a prompt to move your body a little.
- Track your use – Most phones also come with software that tracks your usage. Make sure you read the report it gives you every week. This kind of data can be a great motivator to change your habits.
- Set an intention or goal for how you would like to use social media. Social media is designed to be addictive, don’t let yourself get swept up in the instant gratification it offers. Think about how you would like to interact with social media and do what you can to achieve that goal.
- Be mindful about your social media use.
- Follow your values and goals – Once you’ve got an idea of how you would like your feed to be working for you, make sure to follow accounts that are in line with that goal. If you want to feel good about yourself, follow accounts that boost your self-esteem, or balance social justice content with something optimistic.
- How do you feel? – Are you feeling scared, depressed, or angry while/after you scroll? Think back to the content you were consuming and how it made you feel. Your emotional state can be a good indicator of how healthy your social media use is.
- Train your algorithm – Social media platforms use your behaviour to learn what you want to see. Be conscious of what videos you watch and think about how they align with your values and goals. Try to scroll past videos that don’t fit your goals and watch more content that does.
- Seek out positive information – The world isn’t all bad, despite the picture the news paints. Be intentional about balancing what you consume with positive or hopeful content.
David
Simply Counselling Services