Kurt Fraser Gives Reasoning Behind “Doomscrolling” with “In the Know” Podcast

In a recent edition of the Minnesota Daily’s “In the Know” podcast, Kurt Fraser, faculty, was interviewed on the concept of “doomscrolling.” Fraser explains that small, frequent rewards reinforce social media scrolling and compares the behavior to animals learning through dopamine-driven reinforcement. Despite his expertise, Fraser admits he fell into the habit of excessive Twitter use, especially as a coping mechanism for stress. However, he did eventually delete the app and acknowledges the difficulty of breaking the cycle. Fraser suggests some solutions to the concept of “doomscrolling” and emphasizes that staying informed doesn’t have to mean endless scrolling.

Composed by Madison Stromberg, communications assistant.