There is a new pandemic circulating through the media we consume: negativity, fear, tragedy, anxiety, and hostility. Internet content is reflecting the state of society. We are exhausted from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are shaken by the devastating wars, natural disasters, economic downfalls, and hate-filled attacks. In spite of all of the real-world negativity that is already emphasized heavily in our mainstream news outlets, why is it permeating so strongly into our social media? Even in apps whose algorithms are designed to show me what I enjoy seeing (like positivity, humor, and beautiful things), why am I still being bombarded with negativity every other post?
Shock value sells. That is the bottom line. Controversy and content filled with strong, negative emotions spark the most conversation. The amount of likes, comments, retweets, and shares skyrocket when there is something that shocks us on our screens. Internet algorithms are designed to push content that performs the best on a numerical level. Higher engagement means a larger audience for advertisers and better business for social media platforms. But there is something unhealthy about having a constant flow of negativity seeping through our screens and into users like you and me.
I already avoid reading most mainstream news articles. I like to keep myself updated on current events, but scrolling through endless articles about tragedy and devastation is too much to bear sometimes. TikTok used to be a quick dose of stress relief for me, with cute cat videos and soothing daily vlogs filling my For You Page. Despite me clicking “not interested” on videos with negative energy, there still seems to be endless content about people cheating on their significant others, people with traumatizing stories of sudden illness and injury, and even niche topics like girls telling the story of giving birth when they didn’t know they were pregnant. Seriously, why are there so many videos about this?!
Twitter is a cesspool of COVID-19 side-effect threads, articles about abuse and assault, and tragedy. I opened my personal Twitter feed just now to take a look and one of the first tweets that pops up is a Wall Street Journal article about three New Yorkers dying from a fentanyl overdose on the same day. I am not even following the author of the tweet and nobody I am following has “liked” or retweeted the tweet so it would show up on my feed. It is Twitter’s internal “Business News” promotion to me. It’s a shocking story, with thousands of likes and hundreds of retweets and replies (there are probably more by the time this article is published), pushing this tweet to more and more people’s feeds.
Staying informed is one thing, but the lack of positive content is a bit concerning. Even thinking about popular entertainment media over the past year, it’s dark shows like Squid Game, Stranger Things, and Dahmer that reach the top of the Netflix charts. The weird, the mysterious, the dark, and the tragic are no doubt alluring concepts. But should they really be at the forefront of all Internet conversations? Doomscrolling has real effects on our mental health. Bad things happen in places we’ve never heard of before, to people we’ll never meet, and in timelines that we’ve already crossed. Practicing empathy is important and powerful, but preserving your mental energy and taking care of your own moods and feelings is even more important.
Take some time to seek out positivity. Take a step away from the Twitter thread of long-COVID symptoms that will have you overthinking every breath you take. Press pause on the true-crime podcast that details the gruesome and grisly murders of a serial killer from the 70s. Exit out of the horror show that has you jumping at every shadow in the night. Take care of your subconscious, soothe your mind, and save yourself from falling down the negative Internet rabbit hole.
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