Boredom, Doomscrolling, and the rise of Short Video Dependence among Young Adults and Adolescents

Abstract

When you think of the word doom, it has an evocative emotional response. Doomscrolling is best defined as consuming harmful social media content or consuming it in an unhealthy manner. Doomscrolling is the habit of consuming negative news online repeatedly until it starts to significantly impact our emotional well - being. It helps us to escape our emotions or feelings, so a lot of us find ourselves endlessly scrolling when experiencing uncomfortable emotions and sensations, such as tiredness and anxiety. Boredom is the aversive experience of wanting, but being unable, to engage in satisfying activity. Boredom is a complex emotion characterized by feelings of indifference, emptiness, helplessness and dissatisfaction that arise when an individual faces a lack of external and internal stimulation and is unable to experience adequate satisfaction of needs. Boredom can lead to school absenteeism, provoke deviant behaviors, eating disorders and pathological disorders. The data collected included 60 samples of young adults and adolescents The results found out that there is no relationship between doomscrolling and boredom proneness. Doomscrolling is often habitual and emotionally driven, so strategies should target both behavioural patterns and emotional triggers.