When did “Surfing the web” turn into “doomscrolling?”
Posted by Mission_Spray@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 225 comments
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I realized I don’t actually surf the web anymore. It must have happened around the time I was a new parent in 2016 and before the shutdown of 2020.
I’m no longer going through a bunch of fun websites like ebaumsworld, that leads to some random blogger, that leads to bored panda, that leads to another random blogger or niche forum.
Every link leads back to a social media site where I’m trapped in a doomscroll. I feel overwhelmed and somehow bored at the same time.
I don’t know what I’m hoping to accomplish with this post, but does anyone have an explanation for this?
novisimo@reddit
Right there with you. It's wild for us to know what it was like before it became terrible. The joy of the internet is no longer there and just the addiction and cheap dopamine.
I gripe about this all the time as we "need" the phone for real life things that you can't avoid. The phones and social media is engineered to keep us on them.
Just turn it off and put it in another room! Easier said than done. Your smartphone. Can't live with it. Can't live without it.
I thought reddit might be the happy medium but it's all just replacing one addiction for another.
Smile? Laugh? Get sunlight?
Good luck to all our brains.
RelevantFilm2110@reddit
In theory, you could go back to 2G phones that only have call, text, and maybe Bluetooth.
CuriousLands@reddit
Nah, you can't because most places have gotten rid of their 2G networks.
I made the mistake of getting a 2G dumb phone like a month before they announced they were no longer gonna have that network where I lived. So it became useless after that.
southernfirm@reddit
Not really. Tickets make it hard. Most venues, sports, concerts, whatever, require e delivery. It’s enough that I decided against the Lite Phone.
RelevantFilm2110@reddit
Do you have another device to use if necessary for internet?
Psycho_Mania@reddit
Or a smart watch. I leave my phone at home and use my Apple Watch to make any calls, texts and listen to music. No browser, no reddit, no IG, etc... Always thought smart watches were douchy (and still do), but I'll take anything that liberates me from my phone.
Mission_Spray@reddit (OP)
I just got rid of my smartwatch and I regret it because now I have to keep my phone volume on so I don’t miss work calls.
Unfortunately I get about 15 spam calls a day from spoofed numbers. I can’t filter/block unknown numbers because I have a lot of work calls from unknown numbers.
It’s a nightmare I didn’t know I was walking into.
ShitJustGotRealAgain@reddit
Yes! Unfortunately all my offline hobbies are linked to it too. My tutorials for crafting techniques, or tutorials how to repair things are also online. It's got its hooks into the offline world.
Mission_Spray@reddit (OP)
Yeah, Reddit seemed like it was filling that void, but lately seems like it’s ai-posts focusing on getting the most upvotes.
New_Stats@reddit
Join smaller subs and don't go on the popular scrolling part of Reddit
LeftOn4ya@reddit
Yup I never use the home feed, especially since it got taken over by the worst examples of politics just for engagement similar to how the local news got taken over by the worst examples of the city. Only follow very specific subs I am interested in.
Cinderhazed15@reddit
I’ve heard of people setting their phone to greyscale, and that breaks some of the dopamine hacking that social media puts into their design.
wrel_@reddit
Smartphones.
CuriousLands@reddit
Yeah, like a lot of people focus so hard on social media's role (which is definitely a big factor) but imo smartphones are the #1 issue. We'd all handle the doom feed better if we were stuck in front of an actual computer in a fixed location to see any of it, but instead we've got it in our pockets and whip it out anytime we're bored.
Candid-Inspection-97@reddit
Yes - all the "articles" that you can't just read, they have to be bombarded with ads and "click here for more info" links (like fb "articles" that are click bait).
All the recipes that cant give you the recipe, it has to be a story with numerous links and ads, then a recipe that is so heinous it was probably AI.
CuriousLands@reddit
I've seen some that were so cluttered with ads I was unable to actually read the article, lol
shamanmoo@reddit
Ad views and page clicks 🤮🤮🤮
schleepercell@reddit
In 2006, Facebook changed their homepage to show the news feed. The funny thing, before that took over, it was really important in web design to have all the important content "above the fold" meaning the user wouldn't have to scroll to see whatever. The smartphone combined with fees trained everyone to just open the app and scroll. It was changes to the algorithm, to promote content the user interacts with, combined with everything in the news, and foreign psyops that got us where we are now.
Aggravating_Finish_6@reddit
Yep, this was literally the point in time when doomscrolling was invented.
Scissorsguadalupe@reddit
Man, prior to 2009 when I wasn't on Facebook my life was great! Then I got drunk one night and signed up for it. One of the worst decisions ever hahaha
Darkwing873@reddit
Didnt facebook also inflate video viewing numbers on fb, so that all of the video sites focused on facebook content, and their website whithered away?
S_A_R_K@reddit
I fully believe that in the future they will look at the proliferation of smartphones and 24/7 connectivity as what started the downfall of our society.
Rainbow4Bronte@reddit
The 24 hour news cycle as well
crazycatlady331@reddit
I wish smartphones peaked with the Blackberry (then nicknamed "crackberry').
S_A_R_K@reddit
Honestly, if "mobile Internet" never evolved past what I had on my LG flip phone, the world would probably be a much better place
norsish@reddit
LG flip phone was peak.
Glittering_Tea5502@reddit
I liked flip phones too because they can easily fit almost anywhere. However, texting on them was difficult and time consuming.
Bex-HZ@reddit
I miss my flip phone so much
Glittering_Tea5502@reddit
Hahaha crack berry! 😂 I liked the blackberry type phones. Those had keyboards on them that weren’t touchscreen.
MinusGovernment@reddit
I loved my Blackberry. With the little roller mouse in the middle and actual keyboard. I didn't fat finger while typing on it much at all and you could still change the battery on your phones instead of paying someone $100 to do it like now.
tylenol3@reddit
You’re not alone. I’m loosely involved in the DIY/“cyberdeck” scene and there is a certain reverence for the BlackBerry keyboard and scroll wheel that a lot of people still have. I’m honestly surprised in the whole “dumb phone”/“nothing phone” revival nobody has tried to ship a modern BlackBerry clone. I think a lot of people don’t necessarily want to completely disconnect, they just want to go back to a distraction-free, focused interface.
BunchofMums@reddit
I think that's what they said about radio when it reached a saturation point and was everywhere.
fozziwoo@reddit
but you could still have sex with the radio on
tylenol3@reddit
You think a smartphone would stop me from having sex? Here, hold my… oh wait nm
oriaven@reddit
And specifically the ad-based web where our attention is the currency and we give it away.
norsish@reddit
Except, they won't have the record of it, because downfall. Mad Max and The 100 seemed so much cooler when they were just film. Well, maybe not Max. That dude had serious issues.
Blkrabbitofinle1601@reddit
Max had reasons for his issues. I liked The 100, at least the first couple seasons, but Max is definitely cooler.
Bruuck909@reddit
A rapid drop in fertility rates correlates with widespread smartphone and 4g adoption in every part of the world
n10w4@reddit
Ft just showed how smartphones helped lower birth rates in every country they have been introduced to. Too bad our oligarchs make a killing off them. We would ban them if cartels made them and smuggled them into the country
blackhorse15A@reddit
I dont think it's the actual smart phones or carrying them around. That just happened at the same time. The shift is when social media became a thing. When sites/apps started intentionally trying to keep you inside their "platform". Surfing was all about following links that went other places. (Remember webrings?) And old web pages were especially about that- it was the whole point of "the web". Social media platforms were an entire rejection of that concept. They put deliberate effort into studying the psychology of how to keep your eyeballs on their site, which happens to overlap with gambling addiction psychology (and having eyeballs to look at advertising is how many of them make their money).
Kweeeeh@reddit
lulzbot@reddit
I have yet to read it but the book is on my list: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222376640
_meestir_@reddit
Not disagreeing with you but im gonna say its when FB bought Instagram and changed our feeds from chronologically based to algorithm based.
firesticks@reddit
The algorithms. It’s the social media algorithms.
They literally studied how to keep us addicted.
CuriousLands@reddit
I blame it on the algorithms. Like on Instagram, I followed one page that cracked jokes about life in rural Alberta - I live in Australia now, so I thought it was just a fun way to keep in touch with my roots a bit. Suddenly I'm getting flooded with all kinds of negative news about Alberta and Canada and it's really, really hard to get that algorithm to cut it out. My FB feed is even worse, it's like 90% super negative and inflammatory pages, and again it's really hard to try to get it to stop.
In both cases I've gone to more tailored feeds (the Instagram tab for pages I follow and my Friends feed, respectively) to try to get away from it.
And yeah I miss the random blogger and sites like ebaumsworld too. Sometimes I find something on YouTube that makes me go "Ahhhhh yes, it's like the classic internet" and I treasure that, haha.
mantisboxer@reddit
9-11 for me.
Doctor_Mothman@reddit
Late twenty teens. Slittle bit before when the world started believing you could but bleach in your veins.
Secure-Pain-9735@reddit
When the web died and everything became social media.
Fappy_as_a_Clam@reddit
2016 is when it really took hold.
That when all the organization learned they could really turn the screws and no one would say a god damn thing about it and would, in fact, support it if it was for the team they supported.
Lucky_Chaarmss@reddit
You actually used to surf. There we so many places to go. Now there's like 5.
AUCE05@reddit
The internet used to be fun. Now it is just the weirdos having panic attacks.
catjuggler@reddit
When any kind of engagement became the goal instead of making content people actually like.
crazycatlady331@reddit
In the last decade or so, a handful of conglomerates (including Reddit) slowly took over the internet. In doing so, chronological feeds were replaced with algorithms.
I miss old-school forums and the community they provided. I was involved with one for a band and we'd meet up with each other at shows. I miss that.
southernfirm@reddit
On MySpace there was a forum simple called “Debate”, where people just argued. About anything. Just argue. It was great. Highlight of my evenings one semester back in like ‘03.
ken830@reddit
All the replies here seen to act like forums don't exist anymore. Guys... They're still around!
Shiblem@reddit
At least the ones I check are pretty dead. At least for my car the subreddit and Facebook groups get way more posts. Same for band and gaming topics.
ken830@reddit
Is it a model-specific forum? Maybe it's mostly because your car is older now and a lot fewer are on the road.
I know forums are less active now, but nearly all of the ones I frequent are still around and the people left are still helpful and are the core contributors anyway.
crazycatlady331@reddit
A lot I used to frequent have shut down.
nanneryeeter@reddit
Old forums were great
crazycatlady331@reddit
Reddit is the closest thing the modern internet has. And they don't offer the community that forums did.
Dazzling_Line_8482@reddit
Reddit seems closer to UseNet forums than web based forums due to how many subreddits there are.
I think what gave old web forums the sense of community was that there was only a handful of boards so instead of just superficially commenting on a lot we got to know each other and the personalities.
I've been using reddit for way longer than I was using web forums and I couldn't name any posters from my subscribed subreddits.
Sufficient_Turn_9209@reddit
I was thinking about this the other day. I was active in afew forums and really got to know the users. By username, by avatar (and it would mind duck you when they changed it, lol), and I ended up meeting and interacting with people from those forums irl. The people I met were the same irl as they were on the forums! I remember chat rooms and icq before forums got popular, but it wasn't t as personal. I feel like forums and browsing around 2004-2008 was peak internet.
crazycatlady331@reddit
One thing that old-school forums offered that Reddit does not is subfolders with more niche (to the forum's subject) topic.
Like if the forum was about a band, there would be a separate folder for touring vs new song releases. If you weren't interested in a particular subject, you could easily ignore the folder.
I'm on a few frugal/saving money subs on Reddit. One thing IDGAF about is people's grocery hauls. I don't need to see a photo of your groceries and how much you spent on them. But it's harder to ignore said posts on Reddit.
nanneryeeter@reddit
Not even close to the community. 100 percent accurate. Funny you mention the band thing. I was in a band and the local forums were excellent. Was a great way to make contacts when travelling.
taleofbenji@reddit
Some are still around!
Bonsainut.com feels like the 90s, and has that same community aspect.
NighthawkCP@reddit
My old college forum is still around. I've been a member for just over 25 years now and have averaged over 2 posts a day throughout that time. The number of active members has obviously dwindled and as of right now a dozen people are online. Still think it is an awesome relic to have and still interact with some of the same people for decades, a few of them that I know in real life.
bigdirkmalone@reddit
This is the correct answer
dinosandbees@reddit
I still have so many friends I met online from car-related forums in the 2000s. Great community and a wealth of knowledge -- and knowledge you could trust! Got a question about your hobby? There's someone on that forum who'd been involved in it for 40 years and cannot wait to tell you all about it and help you do whatever you're doing. Or in my case, "Oh yeah, come on over on Saturday and we'll swap out your suspension/do your brakes/change your oil. Bring some pizza and beer." I miss forums so so so much.
Bipolar-Burrito@reddit
Same.
I met so many friends on Dsmtuners, locally and nationally. I’ve seen an uptick in car forums lately, I’ve yet to find my home.
dinosandbees@reddit
My “home” for 10+ years with all my online-turned-IRL friends stopped paying domain fees. All that niche information gone.
WossHoss@reddit
Whoa whoa whoa, do you think you know better than these conglomerates? You also want you feed to be items you selected AND chronological? Best I can do is promoted threads.
It is awful how much it has changed that once enough people find something they like it gets monetized beyond belief and completely ruins the original intent.
Jolly-Persimmon-7775@reddit
Is there any reason why people don’t go back to forums. Is it the inconvenience? The dated user interface?
JamesMattDillon@reddit
I miss the old forums. Reddit is close, but it is not the same.
higglesworth@reddit
The 2000s era forums were the shit. Made some great gaming friends on the IGN forums back in the day. Wish Reddit could fill that hole but nah it can’t
JamesMattDillon@reddit
Oh man, I know. Reddit could never fill that hole. Forums were easy going
RelevantFilm2110@reddit
The scrolling function is a pretty major part of the phenomena, I think. Back before touch screens, even phones with internet access were not that conducive to doom scrolling because you still more or less navigated a simplified version of a browser. Scrolling was pretty much made to dovetail with infinity feeds.
Mission_Spray@reddit (OP)
Plus it cost like $0.70 a minute to browse on my flip phone!
kevinh456@reddit
Because you're scrolling down one website or app instead of navigating between different websites. You're no longer "surfing" between different pages—you're on Reddit, Facebook, TikTok and you're reading what the algorithm things you should.
Classic_Breadfruit18@reddit
Whenever Google stopped giving real search results in favor of its ad optimized and politically correct search results.
That pretty much ended "surfing" as a human driven activity to learn information you are interested in and shifted to an algorithmic programming activity.
ialsohaveadobro@reddit
2016
Thatoneguyfrom1980@reddit
Because the internet now is 5 websites owned by 3 guys masquerading as the greatest technical achievement made by Al Gore.
Mysterious_Fennel459@reddit
I actively avoid this kind of practice however, my husband full on doomscrolls all day long and then wonders why he's in a cranky mood all the time. I tell him to quit doom scrolling and he looks at me like that's not the problem.
Glittering_Tea5502@reddit
I think “doomscrolling” was a word that originated during the pandemic.
Electronic-Spinach43@reddit
It’s an addiction industry. They’ve studied human behaviors and continuously modified their applications to maximize “engagement”. All to show us some advertisements for shit we won’t buy anyways.
xRVAx@reddit
COVID times
yinchanvo@reddit
Facebook on cell phones, especially when they tweaked the algo with videos. TikTok blew that up and ended civilization as we knew it.
Most of Gen Z doesn't go on the web or use PCs. They just know "apps" and are glued to their phones, even more than tablets.
nizzery@reddit
“Interface designer and entrepreneur Aza Raskin is widely credited with inventing the "infinite scroll" (or endless scroll) feature in 2006. However, a team of engineers at Microsoft's Windows Live Image Search (now Bing) independently developed and patented the same technology earlier that same year.”
Says Google. I’d say that’s when it began
5hallowbutdeep@reddit
It's the phones that turned it into doomscrolling, I was playing more games than looking for stuff on the web I don't even stay that long during the peak years of eBay.
C4PT-pA5Tq@reddit
When the algorithm was born.
ThinkFree@reddit
The algorithms feeds and amplifies polarizing content to hook surfers into a vicious cycle of content consumption.
Before, we just surf haphazardly, clicking on links to get us anywhere.
AllThe--SmallThings@reddit
Forums did it for me. I'd lurk on a band's fan board for hours and walk away with five new bands from one thread about their tour openers, then end up on those bands' forums. That whole rabbit hole is just gone now. Spotify feeds me the same six songs and calls it discovery.
Mission_Spray@reddit (OP)
Yeah, I have Apple Music and the “discovery station ” is just songs I intentionally skip, from artists I already listen to.
JoyOswin945@reddit
When websites stopped having an end to them.
Dry_Inspection_4583@reddit
Stumbleupon could have really been something.
That's when it was discovered
Shadrach77@reddit
When it went from us actively looking for stuff on the internet to the the stuff we look at being decided for us.
Shigglyboo@reddit
Blame Facebook. MySpace was fun. Also for the last ten years the US has been majorly declining. Like so Like so that it’s farcical. We went from status quo corruption to let the washed up tacky jerk just literally lie about everything and steal whatever he wants.
Also apps. I miss websites.
Rosserman@reddit
When it trapped us.
Ok_Bike_369@reddit
when gen z got their phones
Foothills83@reddit
Late 2016-early 2017.
ADMotti@reddit
This the answer. It started during the 2016 US presidential election—even in other parts of the world.
crazycatlady331@reddit
IT was that gorilla that kept the old internet together.
ADMotti@reddit
No-Championship-8677@reddit
Yep. Totally agree
IncredibleBulk2@reddit
When Facebook launched the feed
therealpopkiller@reddit
11/8/16
Bob-Dolemite@reddit
politics
ExpressReveal2480@reddit
Sometime around the time Facebook, etc.. started focusing on the "algorithm"?
Back in the day everyone was just creating content for the fun of it, they weren't trying to manipulate you.
EidolonRook@reddit
When the 24 hour news cycle combined with negatively charged sensational news?
bikemandan@reddit
Stumbleupon was pretty cool
2099AD@reddit
When we gave in to Apps instead of purposefully visiting websites.
SockGnome@reddit
Apps and most people moved away from the desktop. The internet has been consolidated, web rings were great and felt more organic. Now we have rage bait and all the worst shit is monetized due to the “click economy”. There were always trolls, but now it’s profitable.
TherealOmthetortoise@reddit
Three months ago. There was a big thing about it on 60 minutes.
ShitJustGotRealAgain@reddit
"Surfing" was following a thing you looked up or an interesting factoid that got you hooked and you followed a lead like breadcrumbs. Or more fittingly, you rode a wave, you followed where the flow of information took you. It was driven by what you wanted to know. You lead the way, although you didn't know where that way would take you. You actively decided where you went.
But doom scrolling is being bombarded with things that the algorithm thinks is interesting for you. It learned to anticipate what you might want to consume, be it information or entertainment. You don't lead the way anymore. You don't actively surf a wave of an information you find interesting and want to know more about. You're on a raft without a rudder or a motor and you got where the tide and the flow takes you. It's completely passive, you just wait what will be spit out next. You're not actively steering.
So my answer is: the advent of algorithms and consumer based advertisements is the turning point. At one point it stopped being "people who like sports surely like healthy food too" and it became "that particular young woman bought sports wear in a bigger size and looked for memberships at an all women's gym. That means she's shy or has low self esteem, because she doesn't want to be surrounded by men. She surely needs some diet programs that are made for larger women. And while we're at it fashion for curvy women might be of interest too." and then tried to find out about its targets taste with social media interactions. Now the algorithm knows what you want and shows you what you like.
AM_710@reddit
I still like to read food blogs - the stories are long as hell but full of info - instagram food stuff is ok but more about looks than technique
scoff-law@reddit
I remember when I started doom scrolling. It was November 9, 2016.
Dazzling_Line_8482@reddit
September 12, 2001 for me.
Technically not doom scrolling but that's when I started checking CNN every morning to see if WWIII started.
Mission_Spray@reddit (OP)
I know there is another “day that will live in infamy,” but 11/9/2016 comes in a close second.
Chester_cheetah02@reddit
When social media started creating ads for everything, all the time.
I see more ads on Facebook than anything else, when news stations started buy Facebook ads with news stories in the ads.
CombatDeffective@reddit
According to my Reddit account: 9 years ago.
DiaDeLosMuebles@reddit
I consider them very different activities. One is exploring information at your own pace and direction. The other is eating what the algorithm feeds you.
AnonPlz123@reddit
I think doomscrolling refers to social media specifically. The invention of Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok leads to a lot of mindless scrolling.
I still like to surf - I research things.
IrememberXenogears@reddit
45
TuckerCarlsonsOhface@reddit
Scrolling was introduced by Facebook with that stupid “feed” that everyone couldn’t get enough of. It became doomscrolling when it was no longer just your friends and chosen content.
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
When people sought inflammatory rather than intetesting things. I remember telling people over ten years ago that "everything you read shouldn't piss you off."
Exponential-777@reddit
Well, bored panda is still there. You don't need a link from a random blogger to visit it. And you don't have to use social media. So i don't get this post.
You want us to to explain why you choose to doom scroll instead of surfing the web for light entertainment? It's because doom scrolling is more addictive and it's related to current events. So it matters more than whatever bored panda is hosting.
The top story at bored panda is a health warning about "ball maxing" https://www.boredpanda.com/expert-severe-health-warning-about-ballmaxxing-young-men-trend/
Starbreiz@reddit
I miss when they just made funny listicles..
Mission_Spray@reddit (OP)
I could have gone my entire life happily ignorant about “ballmaxxing” but I guess I walked into that one.
Altruistic-Dig-2094@reddit
When it stopped being fun and became enshittified, like everything else.
Starbreiz@reddit
its when they made scrolling "endless". I used to reach the end of my RSS feeds. Now everything seems to be short form video thats endless.
Eazy12345678@reddit
when old media decided they wanted u spending less time on other platforms getting ur news.
Protoman@reddit
Easy answer: Social media.
When everyone went to a handful of social media platforms with business models that rely on outrage and mining data, the open web died.
Background-Step-8528@reddit
We can't surf the web; there aren't fun little individual websites to visit like weird little tropical islands. Now we choose a "feed" and deal with whatever the algorithm deigns to serve us.
onepostandbye@reddit
One didn’t become the other. They are different browsing methodologies. Surfing the web involves clicking on links to navigate to different web pages. Doomscrolling is scrolling through a vertical feed of content. It’s not the same.
lucasssquatch@reddit
The dude who invented "endless scroll" is on record apologizing for having unleashed it on the world
crazycatlady331@reddit
The dude who invented pop-up ads regrets it.
Mission_Spray@reddit (OP)
He and the guy who invented the single-use k-cups for the keurig need to have a meet-up.
Alokeen011@reddit
Money. The market changed.
At start and until y2k more or less it was the geeks. Niche market, no profit there.
Around that time it was the geeks and the pros/businesses. OK, companies smell money.
Then recently it became ubiquitous - $$$$$$$$$!
Helpful-Salt4034@reddit
To me surfing was exploration of a novel space. Finding answers to questions that seemed out of reach prior to being able to surf. I always left with something....Where doom scrolling is attempting to surf and then being hijacked. Your left worse off then when you started.
Plumeria9798@reddit
Well put. I miss the days when the internet was for finding new knowledge about the bands and shows I liked that weren't in books, and I could hit the end of the internet. Old lady shakes fist at clouds...
Helpful-Salt4034@reddit
🤣😂🤣 I am shaking my fist right there with you. I feel like its harder and harder to find anything real on the internet anymore. I feel like I started noticing in the early/mid 2010s.
WalmartGreder@reddit
Yeah, I tend to pick up a book now more than getting online. Fills my entertainment need and can read all these recommendations.
CubesFan@reddit
As soon as the were able to train the algorithm for doomscrolling.
Kiethblacklion@reddit
I would add that when the corporate/investment money started to really flow in, that helped to divert us from individual fan/creative websites to the various social media platforms. Instead of creatives we have "content creators" and "influencers", instead of web forums we have "feeds".
karebearjedi@reddit
I would argue it started with StumbleUpon. I'd click through sites the same way I doomscroll on my phone.
FormalCatFish@reddit
Sigh… I miss StumbleUpon
bascule@reddit
I’ve been doomscrolling since Slashdot and Memepool
ItsNadrik@reddit
Smartphones, mobile design and "web 2.0". We moved from individual pages made for different interests, hosting unique content, to algorithms and consolidated platforms.
Milly1974@reddit
Yeah it took 4 or 5 forums to figure out how to rebuild the transmission in my car, correctly reload shotgun shells, bake a cake, meet new people, and find out if my dog has an infection. Now you can do all that on Reddit without booting up your laptop or PC and trying to find the websites.
VVrayth@reddit
It turned into doomscrolling when organic discovery was supplanted by algorithmic sludge.
ProfessorOfLies@reddit
When the interactions stopped being deep dives into weird topics and became microdosing nonsense constantly
deadpool107@reddit
Relatively newish imo. Last decade or decade and a half.
intransit412@reddit
When algorithms took over.
Ill_Jelly7788@reddit
Algorithms and marketing
mj16pr@reddit
You’re no longer actively looking for something
beautifulcheat@reddit
I know people are saying smartphones, but I think it's more about the infinite scroll. That really kicked it into high gear.
American_Greed@reddit
When the "walled garden" became a thing.
New_Stats@reddit
When scammers started using links to infect your device with malware, I assume
Don't click on random links, especially not on social media
www.dontclickthis.com
Mission_Spray@reddit (OP)
Well, now I want to click it.
New_Stats@reddit
Dew it
Ancient-Eye3022@reddit
You literally open an app and just scroll up or down...no clicking, no changings pages, no typing in websites....you literally...just...scroll.
agent_uno@reddit
I might be showing my age here, yet also showing something else, but I had zero idea of the term “doom-scrolling” until the Canadian band (whom I was a late-comer to) called “Metric” made a masterpiece 10-minute long song called “Doomscroller” a few years ago.
If you like a mix of pop/techno/modern synth/electronica give it a listen! And pump up the bass!
fuzzydice82@reddit
This may get buried in all the other comments, but have you tried setting up your internet habits as if you're using the internet 15 - 20 years ago?
Bookmarks and Favorites still exist on all major Web Browsers. If you have sites and blogs that you know and like, you can set them up as a favorite and click on those sites.
Doing so means you get to control what type of internet you interact with instead of an algorithm always dictating it to you.
I have Favorites Folders set up on my Web Browser with names like "Monday Morning," "Monday Afternoon." Tuesday," etc. Then, in those folders, there are links to things I normally look at for that day and/or time of day.
For instance, I'm a sports fan, so Monday Morning links are to sports sites and catch me up on weekend sports. I've been getting back into physical media, so Tuesday's I pull up information on upcoming 4K Blu-Rays. etc.
You can set them to whatever your hobbies and interests are, like travel, golf, fashion, video games, whatever. And then think about your time and mental space for when you want to interact with that topic.
I work on a desktop, so I just right click on the Favorites Folder and choose Open All (14), and it opens 14 tabs. I go through them, closing as I go, and then I'm done. You can also set things up in a similar fashion on mobile web browsers.
The other thing to do is figure out how to only look at things you're Subscribed to or Following on all the social media sites. The Suggested Feeds and Home Feeds are terrible and only designed to keep you scrolling.
I see people complaining about places like X being a "cesspool." While I'm over here using it to get nothing but video game, action figure, and collectible news.
On Reddit, my app and web browser both load me directly to my Followed communities only. And I've tried to curate my subreddits to things I'm interested in. I'll easily unsub and find new ones all the time as my interests chang.
YouTube is easy to go to the Subscriptions section, but they put "suggested" videos at the top, and you have to scroll pas those and the stupid Shorts to get to a chronological list of your subscribed videos. Too many dumb creators always say, "Even people subscribed to me aren't seeing my videos..." No. They're there. It's user error paired with YouTube trying to curate your viewing.
Instagram and X automatically load you into their suggested feed. Which is not good. On Instagram (on mobile), tap the word "Instagram" at the top, and select "Following." Now it only shows the things you follow. On X (on mobile), it loads you into "For you," and you just have to select "Following." Note that the "Following" on the X mobile app is not chronological, and you can't currently fix it on the mobile app, so I've been checking X in the mobile web browser where you can still show things chronologically.
You want your followed stuff chronological, so you know when you scroll down to stuff you've already seen and you can just close the app.
That's the goal for me on Social Media. Only look at the new stuff that I'm Following or Subscribed to. I can get through X in about 3 minutes, Instagram in about 5. (I don't use FaceBook or TikTok.) I'll set a YouTube playlist of my subbed videos I want to watch while I eat breakfast, and then I go through Reddit during lunch.
Or not.
Once you curate and take control of your internet habits, you can step away from the screen a lot easier.
Mission_Spray@reddit (OP)
Ooh, that’s a list my attention span is too short for because of all the doomscrolling.
Just kidding.
I’ll be reading this more thoroughly during my lunch break. Thanks for the tips!
Skitzafranik@reddit
Definitely peaked during Covid . Now it’s at a point of no return .
HoyAIAG@reddit
During the pandemic
gareththegeek@reddit
When corporations took over everything
Lupiefighter@reddit
Welcome to the internet does a good job of explaining the situation.
BeautifulChaosEnergy@reddit
Years ago I used to have app called StumbleUpon
And it was awesome. It would randomly show you sites. And you could thumbs up or down if you liked it. You could put in your interests and it would bring you sites related to that
Scoginsbitch@reddit
My theory is it’s when google killed the ability to get daily blog updates. The number of random blogs that would lead you down those rabbit holes collapsed. The independent websites were bought out.
About that time you also saw a rise of “engagement” software. So what does it take to keep someone on a website longer. One of the things that increases engagement is bad news. So places started churning out horror news.
It was also easy to create hyperbolic bad news given who was in the White House. You also saw people trying to take media breaks from this around this time which lead to increase in the horror to keep engagement.
So it became “Doomscrolling” because the algorithm only shows you bad news to be engaged. It’s harder to find niche articles on culture and fun articles because they inspire people to step away from their screens.
Mission_Spray@reddit (OP)
”If it bleeds, it leads.” is what my colleague would tell me about sad news stories. Makes sense that carries over to the internet.
Udjebfk@reddit
When some algorithms began dictating what you see. Back in the days of surfing the net, you would be activelly looking for something, instead of just passively consuming what 2 or 3 corporations decide to feed you.
APOC_V@reddit
When social media feeds took over as most people form of internet content consumption.
walrus40@reddit
Social media. People like to get themselves upset
anonymousdyke@reddit
When Facebook allowed non college email accounts, MySpace users eventually ended up there. Fine, a way to check up with all your friends and family activity in one place. You would scroll through posts from most recent to whenever you last checked and send messages or leave comments, you were now caught up and could close out and actually call people or whatever and have something to talk about (hey I see you are back in town/are dating someone new/whatever). Facebook changed it to no longer display in reverse chronological order, to mix in other shit instead of just posts (I don’t need to see my friends friend liked a photography studios article about back to school photo deals in another state). Then even worse, they made it so you never hit the bottom or catch up with the last time you checked. So you never know you are done and can move on to other sites. That was the beginning, it is obviously much worse since then.
crazycatlady331@reddit
It wasn't just Myspace users, it was also older generations that ended up on Facebook.
Look at their primary demographic today.
Professional-Put7420@reddit
dang... doomscrolling meant anything one does online? I thought it was meant for services like instagram where you keep scrolling down for its infinite content. thanks for the boomer moment.
dinosandbees@reddit
I miss happy little daily check-ins at sites like Pink Is The New Blog. Actively checking news sites in the morning and afternoon (and trusting the news!) instead of having clickbait headlines and updates screamed at me all day long.
I've noticed that I'm continually setting my phone's DND earlier and earlier every night. Used to be around bedtime. Then just creeping it earlier and earlier so I can watch a movie or show uninterrupted and take back a little disconnected time. Or setting a focus timer when I want to read a book and not respond like a Pavlovian dog to its dings.
Mission_Spray@reddit (OP)
I got rid of my Apple Watch because the constant notifications were distracting. But now I only have my iPhone and I have to keep the volume on for work calls, and the sounds of the notifications are creating a stress response in me. Even if it’s not work-related.
dinosandbees@reddit
Yeah, I realized that especially after a certain time (or during certain activities), those dings create a stress response, and not a dopamine hit!
Oh, it's 10pm? Drunk Derek must be on his 2nd+ nightly whiskey and sending me half a dozen reels I don't give a fuck about and will never watch, even though I've told him (repeatedly) I don't/won't watch them (our humor and tastes in this stuff do not align). Zero warm fuzzies.
Zsirhcz1981@reddit
I think when TikTok, YT, and FB really focused hard on “shorts”. That and designing their platforms around the smartphone vs the PC. Instead of getting online to do some learning, download music, play some solitaire, connect with some friends, or watch a few videos, people just swipe and get the next piece of content with an endless loop.
sarahbellah1@reddit
I think it commenced deeper into the social media era, but after MySpace left us. People would “surf the web” motivated by curiosity but they’re doomscrolling more out of a dense of anxious comparison, scanning for danger or threats.
allthatssolid@reddit
Trump 1
Salty1710@reddit
When corporations made the internet a linear, rail shooter instead of an open world exploration.
Hey-buuuddy@reddit
It’s the hyper-accessible psychologically-targeted content of today that is the problem.
Surfing the web back in the later 90s was when Internet content was innocent and much more positive. The more intelligent end of the human spectrum were the core users.
VOLTswaggin@reddit
When I stopped using StumbleUpon.
Mission_Spray@reddit (OP)
Ooh thanks for reminding me about stumbleupon!
Strong-Hovercraft702@reddit
When algos started to dictate what you see instead of a search engine or websites you frequent.
Remember cracked.com, xkcd, smbc...
Advertising and algos messed up the internet. In short, capitalism has ruined the internet.
Jenn31709@reddit
Because we're not surfing the web anymore. We're going on social media and scrolling for hours on end. Whether it's Facebook, Instagram, or Tik Tok we're just consuming someone else's carefully curated content. It's just not authentic anymore. We're not reading people's Tumblr or Live Journals or DeviantArt. We're not playing Neopets or some other flash game. The rise of the social media influencer destroyed all of this
cmiller0513@reddit
Social media created the infinite scroll, smartphones made it infinitely accessible.
It is basically an addiction for many people now.
RelevantFilm2110@reddit
MySpace still required you to go directly to a page to any text/media a user had posted on their profile.
affogatoappassionato@reddit
It’s the difference between the social media algorithms serving you content versus you going out and finding information and inspiration and going down rabbit holes of your own creation, following your interests and instincts.
JaredUnzipped@reddit
It happened in 2007 with the debut of the smart phone. The whole manner in which the web was used changed dramatically.
2007 was the peak of our society. It's been all down hill ever since.
qwerty-game@reddit
I’m doomscrolling right now. I hate it but it is so addicting.
SlapHappyDude@reddit
The start was the Facebook feed, especially when it started pushing popular content over your friends' pictures and posts. That really was the dawn of the influencer era.
That said, those of us who are old and on Reddit don't really doom scroll. My feed is curated to the point it feels more like surfing the web.
briankerin@reddit
Our access went from when we were in front of a computer, to now the computer is in our pocket--and people feel guilty about how much they stare at thier phones.
drainbamage1011@reddit
"...does anyone have an explanation for this?"
Gestures around broadly
But seriously, probably a combination of factors (and I'm trying to approach this as neutrally as possible to not turn it into partisan finger-pointing):
Social media algorithms moving away from personal connections and towards advertising, engagement bait, influencers, and bot content.
Consolidation of online content among a handful of major platforms. Those days of stumbling upon some goofy niche site are way past us.
Growing political divide and animosity between parties.
Several "once in a lifetime" events, including economic downturn and a global pandemic. Sometimes it just feels like there isn't as much good news or hope that things are getting better anytime soon.
Increasingly polarized news media and podcasts.
Church_of_Cheri@reddit
You forget monopolistic media. Almost everything is now controlled by a select very small group of people, and they have an agenda and are using their money and influence to stop any attempts at regulation. Unregulated capitalism doesn’t lead to competition and innovation, it leads to monopolies and the feudal system. If something doesn’t reverse this trend soon we’ll all be living in new feudal kingdoms (or company towns, a rose by any other name) run by the billionaire that claimed our area in the coup. At least this is the future the philosopher the tech billionaires follow is telling them is coming, fuck Curtis Yarvin and his dark enlightenment.
taskforceslacker@reddit
When the tide went out. Now it’s just an ocean misinformation, advertising and porn.
blackcurrents78@reddit
When it became less about gaining knowledge and more about seeking serotonin spikes.
Overall_Falcon_8526@reddit
"Scrolling" is a peculiarly smartphone phenomenon. Social media sites were among the first to trealize the addictive nature of the physical gesture of scrolling and "rewarding" the scroller with a dopamine hit every few seconds.
Websites before this change were typically laterally oriented, meaning you would have to click a link to go from page to page, not just keep scrolling down one endless page. But now a lot of websites have gotten in on it, having an endlessly populating scrolling page.
Watch people scroll TikTok on the bus if you want to weep for the future.
RelevantFilm2110@reddit
I can remember how for MySpace, you had to go directly to a user's profile page to see anything that they'd posted. It was a lot different from an infinitely scrolling feed. Nevermind that before smartphones, you had to have access to a computer and couldn't post text or media and/or browse all the time.
RanaEire@reddit
"Websites before this change were typically laterally oriented, meaning you would have to click a link to go from page to page, not just keep scrolling down one endless page. But now a lot of websites have gotten in on it, having an endlessly populating scrolling page."
Interesting.. Had never thought of this..
stompy1@reddit
I have no proof but I assume it's when marketing companies started using psychological papers to collab work with big tech. I'm so glad the internet is still open for most in the world tho. The mass population can be stuck on the latest trend. I was surprised to find a downloadable solution to my diablo 2 install last night. :)
SilverAsparagus2985@reddit
You can thank meta and google for that. They curated their algorithms to be an echo chamber, got grilled by congress for jt and never had much else happen.
SeahorseRevolution@reddit
It's the algorithm. It's all intentional.
Deep-Interest9947@reddit
When the worldwide web became depressing instead of fun and entirely monetized
militant-hippie@reddit
Right around the time MySpace died
onesleekrican@reddit
Smartphones and social media
LeftHandStir@reddit
Nov 8th, 2016.
boston_homo@reddit
“Surfing the internet” seemed like endlessly hopeful, possibilities galore and I can’t put my finger on when it morphed into endless “doomscrolling” but it probably happened about ten years ago when two things happened, one of which was my discovery of Reddit.
sassyfontaine@reddit
When you were surfing - YOU - controlled where you when.
Doomscrolling is algorithmic and you are taken along for the ride.
Very different experiences.
ckglle3lle@reddit
Recommended read is a book called The Chaos Machine, it chronicles the rise of algorithmic internet feeds and a lot of how we got here. 2014-2016 was when the proverbial switch flipped and it's been the paradigm ever since
villentretenmerth88@reddit
Little did I know, that playing Journey: Escape on my brother's old Atari in the 80's, would prepare me for social media in the 2020s.
Drpoofn@reddit
Elite ball knowledge. That game made me a fan of the band as little kid.
maxquordleplee3n@reddit
not long after the web became doom
cointerm@reddit
It's very manufactured. These companies spend billions on psychologists and behavioral analysts to figure out what we do, why we do it, how we're hooked, etc, etc. Infinite Scroll is the way to keep us engaged with the system. And just because someone knows about it doesn't mean they're immune to its effects.
I'm trying to reduce usage. I'm spending way too much time on Reddit, and I'm sure it's not great.
Drpoofn@reddit
Short form content
Back in my day we fought to have 10 min yt videos.
Atillion@reddit
When ads became greater than or equal to the content for me. The magic of the Internet is long gone. I was lucky to have witnessed its birth. Just as unlucky to have watched it die.
Dry_Ass_P-word@reddit
2016 election.
eat_like_snake@reddit
It's conglomeration, just like businesses, because websites are businesses now.
Small, independent sites either can't keep going because they get no audience because of these larger social media sites, thus there's no reason to bother with server and hosting costs, or they get bought out and consumed by them.
You can avoid this by avoiding the major social media sites, and just looking for niche little personal sites and spots on the web. But don't expect nearly as much activity as you're seeing on the big ones.
caramelpupcorn@reddit
I guess technically once most websites and apps converted to endless loading of new content underneath previous content as you scroll instead of 'clicking through to the next page' became the norm.
Agreeable_Mouse6000@reddit
I believe I started “doomscrolling” when the Tea Party nonsense started to take hold and we began to see the real rise of a new American brand of fascism, and it became clear that our democracy was actually quite fragile and in more danger with each passing day.
wtfftw1042@reddit
algorithms replaced webrings.
punky100@reddit
Companies have compiled the experience into a few websites. Every time there is a successful new experience, it gets bought by one of a few companies.
People still make their own sites, but they are much harder to find unless you go through who? The big companies. It's easier to work in them than around them, so that's what people do.
Stratospheric-Ferret@reddit
Nostalgia hit of browsing random websites.