Get To Know The Dangers Of Doomscrolling, The Activity Of Looking For Bad News On Social Media

Access news on social media (Priscilla Du Preez / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - In a COVID-19 pandemic situation like this, the public is encouraged to always find out the latest news that can increase their knowledge. But if it has a negative effect on someone, it is called doomscrolling.

Doomscrolling is an activity where a person is constantly scrolling social media to see bad news. Breaking news, COVID-19 deaths, criminal cases and others can have a bad impact.

If you look deeper, every day, everyone uses social media to see new things on the internet. There are those who are afraid of missing the news (fear of missing out) or have an urgency to know beforehand.

Not infrequently, we often access the news before bed. But launching Metro UK on November 4, Dr. Daria Kuss from Nottingham Trent University called doomscrolling increasingly unbearable because society needs social relationships.

“We use social media more often during the pandemic. We use social media to connect, join the community, ”said Kuss.

Because seeing a different reality, as a result social media looks better and makes people prefer to depend on social media. The number of likes, comments, or other interactions is a reward for users.

Have you experienced doomscrolling? How to find out is quite easy. You can reflect on yourself every time you scroll through your social media. Do you feel rich with information or are you even less motivated and tired?

If your answer is the second choice, you will have to change the habit. "The amount of information on social media about the corona virus is extraordinary, unstoppable, and mostly comes from a negative point of view."

Not only that, but this can make you feel even more negative, which can lead to hurting yourself and having bad thoughts. The World Health Organization calls on the public to limit access to social media and news during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are several ways you can do so that you avoid doomscrolling. Start being selective in choosing the news portals you want to follow. In addition, avoid using devices when going to sleep at night.

Instead of avoiding social media entirely, you can limit your social media access outside of family and relatives. Limit your use of social media and spend time doing activities outside the home.