An article by University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) doctoral student Bhakti Sharma, Advertising Associate Professor Benjamin Johnson,  and alumna Susanna Lee, Ph.D. 2022, was recognized as the “most-read article of 2022” by the American Psychological Association’s (APA) journal Technology, Mind, & Behavior.

“The Dark at the End of the Tunnel: Doomscrolling on Social Media Feeds” was published in a special open access collection on Technology-Mediated Interactions and Their Impact on the Human Mind and Behavior in a Time of Social Distancing.

Sharma, Johnson and Lee developed the first valid measure of doomscrolling, the act of compulsively scrolling through a social media feed to find the most current and relevant negative news, often for hours at a time. The article chronicles their study that was aimed to develop and validate a self-reporting measure of doomscrolling.

According to the authors, “Our three studies provide evidence that doomscrolling, although not as prevalent as some media reports would suggest, is a distinct concept. Our reliable and valid measure is useful for assessing situations where people develop the habit of persistently seeking out negative information. The doomscrolling scale provides a robust foundation for future studies that aim to make sense of people’s obsessive focus on negative online news.”

Their research on doomscrolling was also featured in another article, Doomscrolling: What It Is and How to Stop, published in builtin.com on July 12, 2022.

Posted: February 23, 2023
Category: Alumni News, College News, Student News
Tagged as: Benjamin Johnson, bhakti sharma, Doomscrolling, Susanna Lee