From doomscroll to bloomscroll — why I stopped feeding the outrage funnel

Human beings eh. What a piece of work we are. So clever. So innovative. So stupid.

Why do we keep creating tools to make our lives better, only to become enslaved to them?

Case Study #1: Money.

Money (in the form of coins) was invented in 600BCE in what is now known as Turkey. It was a natural cultural step – from bartering goods of equal value to settling on goods with a static intrinsic value that could be used as a medium of exchange. It enabled humans to trade across larger distances, broadening the reach and potential of our little worlds.

Fast forward to 2025.

We seem to be willing to make any number of sacrifices (e.g. human health and wellbeing, environmental stability) in order to protect the ‘economy’. Which, to be clear, is a house of cards built upon our collective agreement that money exists.

I know I know. It’s more complicated than that. I’m not an economist. I’m just making a point.

Case Study #2: Social media.

Regardless of Zuckerburg’s initial gross intentions, the early days of social media were all about connection — suddenly we could maintain social networks that spanned the globe. These tools connected families, reignited old friendships, and helped isolated people find communities of belonging. 

Fast forward to 2025.

We’re locked in a dystopian doomscroll—an outrage funnel. No one is immune to the funnel’s hypnotic power. We follow narratives that distress us, we find communities of outraged belonging, we keep scrolling because the social media tools feeding us these stories are designed to keep us scrolling. We feel like the world is becoming the dystopia we used to read about in 80s sci fi novels.

The question I ask myself these days when I’m deep in the scroll is, “are you doomscrolling or bloomscrolling?”  

Does my time spent online leave me feeling happier, more connected, more creative, hopeful about the future?

OR does it make me feel afraid, concerned, despairing, as if the future is hopeless?

When I talk about bloomscrolling I don’t mean, “avoiding all the bad things that are happening and focusing only on cat videos.” I still wholeheartedly support critical engagement with issues and fighting injustice, but I’ve begun to make a conscious choice to engage in ways that avoid feeding the outrage funnel.

For example: exercising democratic rights like voting, protesting, and writing to elected representatives. Paying forward my privilege by donating to organisations and causes working on issues that matter to me. Engaging in real world respectful discourse and discussion with people holding opposing views (like my dad!).

I have this deeply held belief that stories are the most powerful human technology of all, and that what we read, write, give energy to, and believe, is what we become.

Unfortunately the existence of the outrage funnel is distributing and amplifying dystopian stories exponentially. I think the outrage funnel is a self-fulfilling prophecy. We’re literally consuming our worst nightmares into being.

So what’s my antidote?

I try to spend my online energy dwelling in pockets of the internet that make me happy. E.g. the reactionverse. BTS ARMY YouTube edits. Unhinged TS easter egg deep dives on tiktok. This little blog right here.

It’s not for everyone, but it’s working for me.