Doomscrolling Replaces Casual Social Contact

Routine algorithmic engagement (doomscrolling) often crowds out low‑effort, local social interactions — the small chance encounters, shared outings, and neighborhood ties that sustain everyday happiness and civic connection. The result is not just individual misery but a thinning of ordinary social fabric as attention is captured online. — If habitual online engagement displaces casual social life at scale, it has implications for mental health, civic trust, and how communities respond to politics and crises.