doomsurfing

English

Alternative forms

• doom-surfing

Etymology

From doom +‎ surfing (“the activity of browsing the Internet”).

Noun

doomsurfing (uncountable)

1. (informal) Continuously, often obsessively, reading Internet news or information about a disaster.

   Synonym: doomscrolling

   • 2020 March 20, Kevin Roose, “The Week in Tech: How to Stop Coronavirus ‘Doomsurfing’”, in The New York Times, page B4:

     I’ve been doing a lot of this kind of doomsurfing recently — falling into deep, morbid rabbit holes filled with coronavirus content, agitating myself to the point of physical discomfort, erasing any hope of a good night’s sleep. Maybe you have, too.

   • 2020 September 15, Tammy Chen, “A Dentist Sees More Cracked Teeth. What's Going On?”, in The New York Times, page D6:

     One obvious answer is stress. From Covid-induced nightmares to “doomsurfing” to “coronaphobia,” it’s no secret that pandemic-related anxiety is affecting our collective mental health.

   • 2021 April 13, Sierra Élise Hansen, “Post-pandemic, we must value libraries more”, in The Michigan Daily‎^[1]:

     Like many of you, I was confined to my apartment, which I often resented. I continuously engaged in what has been referred to as “doomscrolling” (or, in an extension of that same modern parlance, “doomsurfing”).

   • 2021 June 5, Jason Cipriani, “Delete your Facebook account for good? Here's everything you need to know”, in CNet‎^[2]:

     Maybe it's just time to quit your doomsurfing.