Where do we scroll for happiness?
Over the last five months, we’ve been zooming into curves on graphs, squinting at circles on maps, and trying to heed epidemiologists’ warning to bend the curve. And we are reminded with a heavy heart that these numbers and lines are people’s lives. So we look, we click, we tap, we search for the answers to the questions: what can I do and when will this end?
Our world seems to be changing daily and our first action to understand it is to reach for our phones. With a never-ending stream of breaking news, is it a wonder why we’re lying awake, doomscrolling through the night? This desire to reach the end of our feed is exhausting yet we continue to do it, slowly eroding our mental health.
Doomscrolling is defined as “continuous scrolling through negative news, even when it is depressing, demoralizing, distressing, or painful” (Psychology Today).
The behaviour isn’t new. We’ve been scrolling for a decade, feeding our psychic need for a digital rush. But in the past, our feeds were full of cute kitten videos and #fomo from the party that you missed. A more carefree time.
Today, they show the somber reality of the world’s deep-rooted inequalities. We’ve had glimpses of them in the past ─ 2011’s Arab Spring, Kony 2012, Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution in 2014, #MeToo in 2017 ─ but 2020 is unique. The world has been unified by a collective stillness, watching as the cracks in society rupture.
It’s a lot to take in and understandably overwhelming.
A friend asked recently, “what’s the silver lining of 2020?”
Answer: a social awakening that will bring about real systemic change and the realisation that while we might not have the answers, we cannot be passive bystanders ─ we need to actively rebuild the society we want.
Two converging tech trends over the past decade, smartphones and social media, have accelerated the uprooting of these prejudices. They’ve allowed us to make visible in high-res the injustices previously unseen and amplify the marginalised voices that call for change. Followers become allies who collectively plot, plan, strategize, organize and mobilize to take a stand.
While we need these tools to unite change-makers against systemic prejudices, they can also deliver constant anxiety. And to deliver real difference, passionate advocates and allies need to maintain stamina and withstand distractions.
So if you’re feeling burned out, learn how to fight doomscrolling. Try joy-scrolling through your pre-Covid camera roll or joy-watching old episodes of your favourite TV show. When tonight comes: rest. Awaken tomorrow reinvigorated, restored and ready to deliver your impact and build back better.
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This post is the fifth in a series of chapters. Kim and Rob met in Sydney in 2017. Kim now lives in Singapore, while Rob’s in San Francisco. We continue to ask the questions that keep us up at night and we’re sharing our thoughts publicly on the macro-trends impacting our collective future. Shoutout to Vee, our editor in chief.
Graph: trends.google.com
Image: What to do when you feel anxious by @lizandmollie
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Chapter 2: Will 2020 deliver a sharper vision for Tech?
Chapter 3: "Due to covid, we are experiencing some delays with our service"
Chapter 4: How to focus with distractions in an age of overload
Operations Leader | Certified Professional Coach (CPCC)
4 年Or try leaving your smartphone or smartwatch at home while you: take a run; go on a walk; have a picnic; read a book; meditate; do yoga; work on a puzzle; play with your pet; clean your Fridge; vacuum; make bread; water your plants; wash windows; talk with a neighbor; write a letter. And use an alarm clock to wake up instead of using your smartphone. Don’t look at email and social for ur first 30 min of each day. What’s my point? Turn off the phone for an hour or two and live!