Doomscrolling

This week at MarineLink…

The term doomscrolling was one of the Oxford English Dictionary's words of the year in 2020.

“the action of constantly scrolling through and reading depressing news on a news site or on social media, especially on a phone”

It rose to prominence during the pandemic, but today’s social, political and economic unrest keeps it current.

The behavior is rooted in the part of the brain often referred to as the lizard brain which promotes self-preservation and drives the fight-or-flight response to danger, fueling the desire to troll for threats.

This week on MarineLink, there has indeed been some threats identified:

The Five Greatest Risks Facing the World in 2025

What Keeps Business Leaders Awake at Night?

Pirates: More Guns, More Hostages

Experts from Harvard say that constantly consuming distressing news can have negative health consequences. One way to avoid excessive doomscrolling is to focus on the good, and MarineLink has also reported on positive developments this week, such as the release of the Galaxy Leader crew, LR’s apology for its historic role in the slave trade as well as cases where