Doomscrolling: Why do we do it? (Medium)

Introduction

Doomscrolling – when people spend a lot of time reading negative news stories online – is something that people all over the world do. But is there an evolutionary reason why we’re attracted to bad news? We’ll be discussing whether the internet or our history is to blame, and learning some useful related vocabulary.

This week’s question

According to international news agency, Reuters, what has been the top global news story of 2023 so far? Is it:

a) The war in Ukraine?
b) Increasing prices and inflation?, or,
c) Prince Harry’s autobiography?

Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Vocabulary

doomscrolling
spending a lot of time looking at your computer screen or mobile phone and reading bad news stories

feel ick
(US slang) feel sick, often because of something disgusting or disturbing

on tap

easily available so that you can have of much of it as you want, whenever you want

make up for (something)

compensate for something bad with something good

romanticise (something)

talk about something in a way that make it sound better than it really is

‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’

saying which expresses the idea that by going through difficult life experiences, people build up strength and resilience for the future

Lắng nghe và điền vào chỗ trống:

Cloze Test

CLOZE TEST

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Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Sam.

Neil

And I'm Neil.

Sam

you heard the expression doomscrolling, Neil? It's when people spend a lot of time reading, or ''scrolling', a mobile or computer screen in order to read negative news stories - stories full of doom.

Neil

I hate admit it, but I do sometimes doomscroll.

Sam

Well don't feel too bad, Neil, because youre not alone. from the University of California found that people all over the world doomscroll, regardless of culture. What's more, there even be evolutionary reasons why were attracted to bad news.

Neil

In this programme, well be investigating why feel compelled to look at, and even seek out, bad news. And, as usual, well be learning some new , as well.

Sam

But before that I have a question for you, Neil. Doomscrolling is a very modern which is only possible with the 24/7, non-stop cycle of news reporting. So, according to international news agency, Reuters, has been the top global news story of 2023 so far? Is it:

a) The war in Ukraine?

b) Increasing prices and inflation?, or,

c) Prince Harry's autobiography?

Neil

I think the answer is an that's affecting everyone - inflation.

Sam

OK, Neil. Ill reveal the answer at the end of the programme. , it might be true that the non-stop news cycle makes doomscrolling possible, but that doesn't explain why we do . Anthropologist Ella al-Shamahi thinks the answer may lie in human evolution. Here she outlines the problem for BBC Radio programme, Why Do We Do That?

Ella al-Shamahi-

We go searching out for bad news, looking for things will make us feel ick inside. And so many of us do it. Is it a result of 24/7 on tap on our phones? Or, is it some kind of compulsion that comes from somewhere way, way back?

Sam

Reading bad news stories makes us feel ick - an informal American phrase which means feel sick, often of something disgusting or disturbing. It's a feeling caused by the fact that, thanks to the internet, now we the news on tap - easily available so that you can have as much of it as you want, you want.

Neil

But Ella thinks that's not the whole story. There's another theory: way back in human , when we lived in caves, it seemed everything could kill us, from wild animals to eating the wrong mushroom. what the dangers were, and how to avoid them, was vital to our survival, and from an evolutionary perspective, is everything. As a result, we humans naturally pay attention to the negative stuff, something Ella calls 'negativity bias'.

Sam

But while cavemen only knew what was happening in their local area, nowadays we know the bad news all over the world. Here's Ella again, discussing this with her friend, TV presenter, Clara Amfo, for BBC Radio programme, Why Do We Do That?

Ella al-Shamahi-

Before it would be like, I don't know, I'm assuming go to the neighbour's cave and they'd only know… the bad news from… that particular mountain. Whereas now, it's , 'Let me tell you about the really bad information and situation that's going on in some island somewhere…'. It's the good news doesn't make up for it…

Clara Amfo

It really doesnt', and I think trauma's romanticised, . 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger', 'this is a test'. I think were conditioned to believe that negative shape us more than joyous ones.

Neil

Reading bad news from around the world can depress us, and thinks that the little good news we do hear doesn't make up for the depressing news. To make up something means to compensate for something bad with something good.

Sam

Good news is hard to find. In , Clara thinks society has romanticised bad, traumatic news. If you romanticise something, you talk about it in a way makes it sound better than it really is. Connected to this is the saying, 'What doesn't kill you makes stronger', meaning that by going through difficult experiences in life, people build up strength and resilience for the future.

Neil

Maybe it's best to stop doomscrolling altogether, but with so much bad news pouring into our mobile phones day, it's not easy.

Sam

OK, it's time to reveal the answer to my question, Neil. I asked what news agency, Reuters, considers the top news story of 2023 so far.

Neil

And I guessed it b) inflation.

Sam

Which was… the correct answer, although there's still plenty of time for 2023 to bring more doom, hopefully along with a little positivity too. OK, let's recap the vocabulary weve learned from this programme doomscrolling - spending lots of time reading bad news stories on your phone.

Neil

Feeling ick is American for feeling sick, often because of something disgusting or disturbing.

Sam

When something is on tap, it's easily so that you can have of much of it as you want.

Neil

The phrasal verb to make for something means to compensate for something bad with something good.

Sam

When we romanticise something, we make sound better than it is.

Neil

And finally, the saying 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' means by going through difficult life experiences, people build up strength for the future.

Sam

Once again our six are up, but if doomscrolling's not for you, remember you can find lots of positive news stories to build vocabulary here at 6 Minute English.

Neil

Don't forget that there is more to BBC Learning English than Minute English. Why not try to improve your vocabulary through the language in news headlines. Try the News Review on our website or download the podcast.

Sam

But that's bye for now!

Neil

Bye!

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created with the online Cloze Test Creator © 2009 Lucy Georges

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