HOW TO REMAKE DOOM SCROLLING and WHY

Art by Irene Hoff titled “Belonging”*

I HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE: I DOOM SCROLL.

When I lay down to sleep at night, before I fall asleep, I read everything I can — online, in magazines, whatever I’ve placed within reach
and then…
When I wake up, before I get out of bed, I reach for my phone, and once again: I scroll.

The algorithms have figured me out of course, as they do all of us — and there’s a lot of bad and frightening news on my feeds about what is happening everywhere in the world. A LOT of DOOM!

I’ve tried to feed my algorithm so that not all of what I read is DOOM. I actively seek out and click on and spend time reading and re-reading the words and listening to the voices of wise people — many of them describe how really bad it is in our world, …and while some of them sometimes have ideas on how to go forward even with all that is happening — still, as I scroll — their words, their voices alone, are not enough to drown out the DOOM.

And yet, I scroll on. I don’t want to look away. Because

I feel that I need to know as a human being sharing this planet — how bad it is for some of us, and in some cases, all of us. I MUST, WE MUST KNOW the TRUTH.

SO WHAT DO WE DO? HOW DO WE STOP THE DOOM SCROLLING FROM DRAGGING US INTO DESPAIR? HOW DO WE STOP IT FROM PARALYZING THOSE OF US WHO WANT TO HELP?

ANSWER: We need to REMAKE OUR DOOM SCROLLING!

THIS IS WHAT I DID: I HAVE TAKEN CONTROL OF MY DOOM SCROLLING in these TWO WAYS:

1. I make time in my day to search for people or groups that are taking action related to THE DOOM.
   
   To begin, do a simple search on whatever device you have handy (here’s where AI can be a tool for good!*). For example: You find yourself reading about the lack of rain and the increase in fires around you — and that it’s only going to get worse in future years because of climate change. Plug into a search engine something along these lines: “Provide 20 examples of work happening around the world to help combat and reverse climate change” OR something like “How is nature helping researchers come up with ways to reverse climate change”.
   
   And then you spend time SCROLLING down through what comes up. I can guarantee you’ll start to see the world differently compared to what the DOOM left you with. Potential hope replacing potential despair. Even better actual hope replacing the despair you felt.
   
   Something else may happen too — you may find a way that you can also take action — I’m serious! Right where you are — because it’s crazy how much good is happening, and how often it’s citizens just like us!
   
   

2. I take the packaged for the masses DOOM words and turn them into something that is meant to do the opposite. There’s lots of ways to do it, and you’ll find your own unique form of expression. One of mine has been collage — and I sometimes share them here (see previous posts).
   
   I sit down with an incomplete idea — sometimes just a feeling and I begin to create something different from the DOOM. For example: the collage below began with me reading posts online where people were expressing hate toward one another as one liners — and it made me wonder whether if they knew each other, were in the same room, if they were given the opportunity to spend time together whether they would relate to each other differently — and I came up with the phrase: “reparative relating” and I sat down — and this is what emerged:

I spent several hours on this. As I searched for words, I found both DOOM and (less so) positive words — and I placed all the words next to each other “just so” turning them all into something new that replaced despair with — inspiration. For me, and I hope you too.

✂️

I end with this: I believe we need to stay aware, informed — but I refuse to be subject to DOOM packaged to cause us to despair and give up. Instead, I’m finding ways to turn the DOOM I scroll through on it’s head — using it to do the absolute opposite.

BECAUSE I HAVE FOUND WAYS TO REMAKE MY DOOM SCROLLING I have hope, and I’m finding ways that I can be part of turning around our world for the better. I also know that I’m not alone in this — look at the painting of Irene Hoff that begins this post — Irene is taking what is around her and reshaping it as a reminder of how we all belong together! I know some of you are too. Maybe that’s how we found each other — as we scrolled!

jw.
Toronto, Canada
August 2025.

*Sources and Notes:

This beautiful mixed media piece of art titled “Belonging” by Irene Hoff (Amsterdam) is found HERE and more about Irene Hoff and her work is here: https://irenehoff.com/

Whether using AI to search or some other forms of search — we always, always need to verify the truth of what we’re reading… but still, scrolling down through possibilities is the first stage of REMAKING DOOM SCROLLING using my first “method” — it generates positivity and hope and possibilities, and and and!