A Mindful Approach to Engaging with Social Media

For many of the learners we support, getting online is a powerful milestone. It creates access to jobs, education, healthcare, services, and connection. But digital inclusion is not just about helping people connect to the internet. It is also about helping them develop healthy, informed, and responsible relationships with technology once they are online. That is why conversations about social media use, misinformation, and digital well-being are becoming more important to digital literacy work. Common experiences people describe today are falling into a “scroll hole” and “doomscrolling.” What starts as a quick check of social media or the news can quickly become extended periods of passive scrolling that leave people feeling anxious, distracted, emotionally drained, or overwhelmed. Research from Harvard Health Publishing describes doomscrolling as the repeated consumption of negative or distressing online content, often driven by algorithms that continuously feed users emotionally engaging material. Social media platforms are designed to keep users engaged and returning frequently, which can make it difficult to disengage once scrolling begins.