Do You Endlessly Scroll? Here’s How You Can Put An End To It

The secret is to replace “FOMO” with “JOMO”.

The German word Schadenfreude is a union of two nouns “Schaden” meaning harm and “Freude” meaning joy, which in the literal sense stands for deriving pleasure or self-satisfaction in witnessing others’ misfortune. Interestingly, the word is only one of its kind bearing no direct translation in any other language.

Pretty lonely, no? Tough toffee to chew, but consciously or unconsciously, we are following similar footsteps nowadays.

With an upsurge in internet access that has busied everyone’s eyeballs comes a catastrophic pandemic, a hovering Third World War and endless sorts of political pettiness that seem to be creating the perfect potion for cyber obsession. We are inclined to consume every post, every piece of news that’s viralling around to keep ourselves “updated”.

It’s important to stay well-informed without getting sucked into nonsense. Not only is it affecting our productivity levels, but also brainwashing our belief systems for the bad. Despite knowing all the drawbacks, why are we still scrolling or “doomscrolling” our way to nowhere?

This tendency of FOMO (fear of missing out) has to be replaced by something liberating like JOMO (joy of missing out). No, you are not missing out on anything. You’re living a good life.

So, what exactly is Doomscrolling? Doomscrolling or Doomsurfing is a practice of overspending time on the internet, obsessively searching for sensational news, disturbing content, saddening stories, especially on news apps and social media. The more dramatic the content, the greater the adrenaline rush produced in our bodies and the more attracted we get to it.

Once prey to this vicious cycle, I can understand there isn’t a cakewalk to escape. You cannot straightway delete all the apps, throw your phone away in some lake, breathe a sigh of relief and pretend that you’re detoxified. For us tech-wired generation, a concrete solution is needed, which will be practical and long-running.

How Do We Stop Doomscrolling?

From my trials and errors, I have jotted down seven practical and highly-effective tactics to stop doomscrolling that will help retain your peace of mind.

1. Dodge the distractions:

While bonding with friends and family or in the middle of work, a distracting ping compels us to pick up the phone right away. To counter this, turn off the app notifications, including posts and news updates, leaving the required.

Every social media app is embedded with intricate settings which allow you to choose what to keep and what not to. For example, on Twitter, you can filter notifications, edit suggested topics and disable off-twitter activity to block tracking.

Google shows stories based on your browsing history, but options are available to pick desired interests and turn off the web and app activity tracking. Facebook offers a “quiet mode”. Updates from independent new apps can also be disabled similarly. Also, don’t hesitate to keep the phone in “do not disturb” mode if needed.

2. Unfollow the unnecessary:

The most contributing solution in my experience was to unfollow. Recognise which posts seem time-consuming, toxic, nonsensical, overly commercial and hit that unfollow button. Like on Instagram, I have muted stories of maximum accounts as they mostly repost content. Trust me, it’s so satisfying. Even when you’re exploring, avoid clicking on negative posts as it feeds the algorithm.

If you happen to view a video, select “see fewer posts like this” or “not interested” and it will automatically cleanse your feed eventually (mind too) and will save time.

3. Follow the insightful:

Returning to where it all started, employ the internet for the purpose it was invented — Information. There are plenty of profiles that will boost your intellect and calm your nerves. You can consider following niche blogs, quick DIYs, language or finance learning, cute animals, non-profit organisations, and several other meaningful accounts.

To alter your algorithm, keep searching for those you wish to see on your feed, click and view the same. Basically, you’re swapping the negative with the positive. For example, Better India is a news platform that reports only positive stories from around the country. There are other similar news websites you can follow.

4. Value your time:

According to the latest reports, the average daily time spent on social media worldwide is 2 hours and 24 minutes. That’s a bit embarrassing. In a competitive era, where juggling different domains of life and mastering multiple skills is a demand for survival, nothing is more scarce than time. So, it’s critical to be watchful of how many hours you’re investing in digital media.

Facebook and Instagram track usage periods and throw reminders when exceeding time limits. Constantly staring at the screen damages your pupils, so make sure you set breaks from scrolling. Social Fever, Space, Stay Focused, QualityTime and AppDetox are some of the app trackers available for Android and iOS users.

5. Introduce fun activities:

The flexibility of services and portability is the gift of technology endowed to us. All in all, our daily routines are encapsulated within our devices. Hence, their usage is obvious. So why not make it fun? I like to listen to music, watch fascinating YouTube videos, play a game or two and plan schedules for the upcoming week.

Also, you can learn to play a musical instrument like piano, keep a digital journal (easier to maintain), listen to enlightening podcasts; the ideas are endless. It proves to be helpful to shift your focus to more productive activities and ensures a wholesome way of screen consumption.

6. Ditch your phone:

If you’re still facing self-control issues and bouncing back to doomscroll, an indication is that you need to stay away from your phone. Bibliophiles can source stocks of literature, magazines, audiobooks from Kindle or opt for paperbacks.

Click a few pictures on your digital camera if photography is your hobby or catch up on an episode of your favourite series. Doodle, sketch or paint masterpieces, anything you enjoy doing. The point is to give a healthy stimulation to our brains, and what better than art.

7. Live in the real world: 

The ultimate objective of eliminating doomscrolling is to live in the real world. Spend time with your loved ones, confide in a friend, participate in community services. Amplify your communication in the offline world.

Rather than picking up the phone first thing in the morning, meditate and exercise. Take your pet for a walk, cook new recipes, decorate corners of your house. Joining a sports club or driving to a serene place where you can appreciate nature is a great method to relieve stress. Be mentally present as much as possible.

These minuscule steps will pave the way for productivity and positivity. They are practical, detoxifying and long-lasting. All you need to do is, take up a decision, build a schedule around it and follow it with consistency. Give this process some days; you’ll end up developing healthy habits.

The doom of doomscrolling will be certain.