Doomscrolling as a Form of Over-Communication in the Construction of Collective Anxiety in Indonesia’s Digital Public Sphere

Nurul Izzah; A. Bulqis Safirah

doi:10.20527/mc.v11i2.27267

Doomscrolling as a Form of Over-Communication in the Construction of Collective Anxiety in Indonesia’s Digital Public Sphere

Nurul Izzah, A. Bulqis Safirah

Abstract

This study aims to analyze doomscrolling as a digital communication practice that emerges in conditions of over-communication and to explain its role in shaping collective anxiety in Indonesia’s digital public sphere. This study employs a qualitative approach using netnography to examine conversations on the X platform during a period of heightened economic discourse marked by a decline in the IHSG, a rise in gold prices, and fluctuations in cryptocurrency assets. Data were collected through keyword-based searches and analyzed using thematic analysis of 96 key posts and their interactive responses. The results indicate that doomscrolling operates through the repetition of messages, the amplification of fear, and crisis narratives without resolution, thereby shaping public anxiety as a communicative effect of an information overload rather than as an individual clinical condition. These findings underscore the importance of communication strategies that are timely, contextual, and solution-oriented in mitigating the spiral of digital anxiety. This study is limited to a single platform and a specific observation period. Therefore, further research is recommended to expand the platform context and employ a mixed-methods approach. The novelty of this research lies in its focus, which does not address hoaxes or individual trauma, but rather positions anxiety as a product of excessive communication within the digital public sphere.

Keywords

Doomscrolling; Collective anxiety; Digital communication; Over-communication

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.20527/mc.v11i2.27267

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