Module 2 · Attention & digital life · Emerging evidence

Infinite feeds and doomscrolling

Feeds with no bottom and an algorithm choosing what comes next — and why bad news keeps you scrolling.

7 min read · Level: Beginner · Free — no account needed to read

The idea

Books have last pages; television used to have schedules. Many modern feeds have no end: there is always one more post, one more video, and the next one starts on its own. Without a natural stopping point, the decision to stop falls entirely on you — usually at the moment you are most tired.

Algorithms decide what comes next, learning from what kept you watching. Strong emotions — outrage, fear, amazement — tend to hold attention, so they often rise to the top. “Doomscrolling” is the name for the pattern of scrolling through bad news or distressing content long after it stops helping.

Feeds also bring real value — friends’ lives, learning, humour, community. The aim is to use them on purpose, with an end point you set, rather than letting the feed decide when you are done.

Why it works

Scrolling without a stopping point is one of the easiest ways for an evening, or a mood, to slip away. Adding your own stopping cues puts the decision back with you.

A real example

The situation

Every night, Jahid means to check the news “for five minutes” and ends up scrolling distressing stories for an hour, then lies awake feeling anxious.

What happened

He decides to read one trusted news summary in the morning instead and sets a daily time limit on the app he scrolls. After a week he sleeps better and feels just as informed.

The takeaway

A stopping point he chose in advance did what willpower at midnight could not.

Use this when you are…

• you scroll far longer than you meant to
• you feel worse after scrolling but keep going
• distressing content keeps you up at night

Common mistakes

• Relying on in-the-moment willpower to stop an endless feed.
• Scrolling in bed, where stopping is hardest and sleep pays the price.
• Assuming the most dramatic content is the most important.

What the evidence says

Emerging evidence: Early or mixed research looks promising, but it is too soon to be confident. Treat it as worth trying, not proven.

Research on doomscrolling and on how feed design affects time spent is relatively new. Studies link heavy consumption of distressing news with more stress, but causation and long-term effects are still being studied.

Where this comes from: Research on digital media and wellbeing; Attention and task-switching research.

Fields that study this: Behavioural science, Sociology.

Try it now: Add a stopping cue

1. Pick the feed you scroll most.
2. Decide your stopping point before you open it — a time, or a number of posts.
3. Set a timer or an app limit to mark it.

Practise with a guided technique

• Add friction to your phone — (5 min · Emerging evidence)
• Digital sunset — (30–60 min before bed · Emerging evidence)
• Urge surfing — (3–5 min · Emerging evidence)

Questions to think about

• How do you usually feel after a long scroll, compared with before?
• What natural stopping point could you add to your evenings?

Try this today

Set a daily time limit on the one app you scroll most.

Afterwards, ask yourself

What happened when the feed had an ending you chose?

Words in this lesson

• Doomscrolling — Scrolling through bad news or distressing content for long periods, even when it makes you feel worse.