A relentless feed of disturbing stories fuelled by the news mantra 'if it bleeds it leads' makes social media a breeding ground for despair and anxiety, a study says.
A team of international researchers quizzed university students from Iran and the US on how often they 'doom-scrolled' through negative news, how anxious they felt about their existence, whether they believed that the world is a fair place, and how they felt about humanity.
The study, led by Flinders University, found compulsive reading of negative news makes people more likely to feel suspicious and distrustful of others and form the impression that life lacks meaning.
"Doomscrolling can have some dire consequences on our mental health and wellbeing, leaving us feeling stress, anxiety, despair and questioning the meaning of life," says lead author Reza Shabahang from the university's College of Education, Psychology and Social Work.
"Viewing negative news on social media has become a source of vicarious trauma, where someone has a negative psychological impact even though they did not experience the trauma themselves."
Exposure to images and information about traumatic events led to symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder such as anxiety and despair, he said.
Researchers surveyed 800 university students from two distinctly diverse cultures, Iran and the US, to explore how excessive negative news consumption on social media can impact their thoughts and feelings relating to their existence.
Doomscrolling was associated with anxieties about their existence, life and death, in both Iranian and American samples, and emerged as a significant predictor of misanthropy - dislike of people - in the Iranian sample.
Constant exposure to negative news and information online can threaten beliefs when it comes to our mortality and the control we have over our lives, Mr Shabahang said.
He said the study, published in the Computers in Human Behaviour Reports, was a reminder to be mindful of online habits and to take regular breaks from social media and exposure to negative news.
"We suggest that people pay attention to how much time they are spending on social media and to be aware of the impact it is having on their emotions, thoughts and feelings, especially when it comes to negative news and events," he said.
"It's a good idea to keep track of how much time you spend doomscrolling and to reduce that time if it's problematic".
Users seem to believe that being unaware of bad news makes them feel oblivious.
Researchers suggested that future investigations should explore more potential existential impacts of doomscrolling, including loneliness, empathy, and nihilism.
