A quick Google Trends search will show you that the first instance of the term ‘Doomscrolling’ dates back to April 2020. The word was coined at the starting of the global lockdown following the pandemic, to mean “the act of consuming a large quantity of negative online news, typically without pause, to the detriment of the mental health of the person consuming it.”
It’s no secret that smartphones are designed to be addictive and bad for your mental health. Couple this with lockdowns, confinement, and isolation, and you’ve got a pretty bad combination on your hands… quite literally on your hands! Goodbye Phone, Hello World was published to help take that device from out of your hands and give you back control of your happiness and overall mental health. The book, which combines beautiful illustrations and bite-sized pieces of text (for an easy transition), is filled with ‘ideas, wit, and wisdom to help you break away from technology and get back to living’. Within its covers lie 60 different exercises to help you find happiness, inner peace, and break away from the addictive activity that is staring at your phone. Yes, I get the irony behind you probably reading this on your phone..!
Author: Paul Greenberg