I have a confession: I'm a doomscroller. Have been for as long as social media has been available. My God, since Myspace.
But for years, Facebook was my poison of choice. Every spare second I had. Waiting in line, sitting on the couch, lying in bed trying to sleep, scroll scroll scroll. And scroll. And scroll.
It felt good in the moment. That little dopamine hit every few seconds. A funny video here, an outrage post there. My brain loved it.
The thing is, I was never satisfied. I'd put the phone down feeling empty. Sometimes worse than before I picked it up. Facebook gave me nothing back. Just time gone and a vague sense of irritation.
So I decided to find something else.
The Search for a Better Scroll
I didn't want to make the switch. Facebook was familiar. Comfortable. The algorithm knew exactly what I liked. Starting over somewhere else felt like work.
I tried Instagram first. It was prettier, sure. But essentially the same experience. Scroll, double-tap, scroll, double-tap. Empty calories. Synthetic, processed food. Zero nutritional value.
Then I tried TikTok. Big mistake. TikTok had perfected what Facebook was trying to do. The dopamine hits came faster and harder. I'd look up and an hour had vanished. It was Facebook on steroids. I deleted it within a week.
Eventually, I landed on Reddit.
Why Reddit Actually Works for Me
It's still doomscrolling, and I'm still on my phone too often, but I'm finally consuming something more than empty calories.
When I scroll Reddit, I actually learn things. Real people sharing real experiences on subjects I care about. Someone asks a question I've had for years - and dozens of people who've faced that same problem share what worked for them.
I was stuck on a coding problem for hours. Found a thread where someone had the exact same issue, and a bunch developers had already argued about and decided the best resolution.
I wanted to do my own brake job to save money. Found a thread where backyard mechanics, working on the same model & year car, shared every mistake they made so I didn't have to make them myself.
I learned that chances are good that someone's been there done that, and documented their solutions.
It's still scrolling. But it's scrolling that leaves me with something.
Six Months Clean from Facebook
It's been six months since I've opened Facebook, except for some minor station-keeping visits to keep up with family, I don't miss it much.
When I finally found the strength to commit and make the switch, I took back my free time. I've been much happier since, and I look back on my years of Facebook scrolling like an addict that's in recovery, sad that it happened, but thrilled that it's over.
My doomscrolling habit didn't go away. I just redirected it somewhere that gives me something back. Is it perfect? No. I'd no doubt be better off reading books or going for a walk.
But I'm realistic. I know myself. I'm going to scroll regardless. At least now when I put the phone down, I sometimes feel like I learned something. That's more than Facebook ever gave me.
If you're like me and you're stuck in the Facebook doomscrolling cycle, you don't have to necessarily quit cold turkey. Maybe just switch to something that respects your time a bit more.
Reddit worked for me. It might work for you too.
