# Oops. I did it again

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-i-did-it-again/1023272>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [September 21, 2025, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-i-did-it-again/1023272 "2025-09-21T19:12:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 16\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\
**Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-i-did-it-again/1023272/1 "2025-09-21T19:12:34Z")

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To paraphrase Ms.Spears.

I completely swore off of the 24 hour newscycle on Nov.7th, 2024.

Threw the front page of my newspaper in the trash. Did not read. Did not watch.

The only news about politics I heard was from reading here on the Dope. And I avoided the more salacious threads.

When Kirk was murdered I looked at CNN immediately after I heard it.

Then the next day I read a early article about it. Followed threads here.

Just like that, I was hooked again.

I’m going through withdrawals at this very moment. I just paused at CNN on my guide screen and had to force myself to move past it.

I’m not going down that rat hole again. I was happier without it.

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**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\
**Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-i-did-it-again/1023272/2 "2025-09-21T19:37:48Z")

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**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\
**Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-i-did-it-again/1023272/3 "2025-09-21T19:41:41Z")

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**Moderating:**

@Beckdawrek, this OP isn’t structured as a P&E discussion, so I’m closing it. If you meant it for a different forum (seems like MPSIMS), PM me, and I’ll move and re-open it.

ETA - after reviewing with our OP, moved to MPSIMS which was the original intent, the thread is now open.

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**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\
**Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-i-did-it-again/1023272/4 "2025-09-21T20:37:53Z")

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**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\
**Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-i-did-it-again/1023272/5 "2025-09-21T22:36:03Z")

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My 43-year-old daughter is completely apolitical. She doesn’t watch national news, and she’s never voted in her life. I can’t talk politics with her because she has no opinion on anything. She knows nothing about Trump and doesn’t care who’s president.

She lives in complete political ignorance, and as a result, she never stresses about anything happening in Washington, D.C., or even her state capital. I don’t know how common this attitude is, but she apparently has friends who share her views. She focuses on her job and her 12-year-old son. She’s not married.

When I inadvertently brought up the Kirk assassination one day, she had no idea who he was or what I was talking about. In all fairness, I had never heard of him until he was shot, but I try to watch the national news every day. I can’t imagine living in her world myself, but she seems happy being ignorant about what is going on in the world, and probably sleeps better than I do as a result.

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**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-i-did-it-again/1023272/6 "2025-09-22T06:18:48Z")

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Saw the thread title and thought it would be about farting and shitting your pants.

Uh, not that I’ve ever done that. Especially more than once… or five or six times.

And never again!

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**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-i-did-it-again/1023272/7 "2025-09-22T17:57:07Z")

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I’m in the same boat! I want it to stop.

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**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-i-did-it-again/1023272/8 "2025-09-22T18:05:24Z")

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> [@Beckdawrek](#):
>
> I completely swore off of the 24 hour newscycle on Nov.7th, 2024.

Me: I completely swore off of the 24 hour newscycle on Nov.7th, 2024.

This included avoiding facebook and most sections here.

(thank you mods for keeping certain sections free from political stuff - it’s greatly appreciated)

I do happen to hear or see things from some places but it’s usually kept at a minimum. The last couple of weeks or so it’s harder and and I do see the temptation to peek and see what’s going on.

Life is better this way.

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**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-i-did-it-again/1023272/9 "2025-09-22T20:20:52Z")

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Doomscrolling isn’t good for anyone, no matter their politics.

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**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-i-did-it-again/1023272/10 "2025-09-22T20:47:39Z")

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What exactly is _doomscrolling_?

I don’t think I do that. I look at recommended YouTubes. Never have done tik tok or other. Never Facebook-ed.

If I’m on a device, it’s for the Dope, one online game, reading the tablet or texting on my phone.

I don’t wanna be a _doom-_ anything. Doesn’t sound pleasant.

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**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-i-did-it-again/1023272/11 "2025-09-22T20:55:06Z")

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There can be doom-scrolly stuff on YouTube too, especially if you inadvertently click on one wrong video and trigger it in your algorithm. Then good luck ever getting away from it.

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**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-i-did-it-again/1023272/12 "2025-09-22T21:04:11Z")

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It’s just when someone spends a lot of time online reading through negative news, usually political, by scrolling through one headline after another.

> **[Doomscrolling](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomscrolling)**
>
> Doomscrolling or doomsurfing is the act of spending an excessive amount of time reading large quantities of user-generated content or news, particularly negative news, on the web and social media. The concept was coined around 2020, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
> Surveys and studies suggest doomscrolling is predominant among youth. It can be considered a form of internet addiction disorder. In 2019, a study by the National Academy of Sciences found that doomscrolling ca...

It doesn’t really matter whether it’s on TikTok or YouTube or CNN or Fox or whatever. They’re all platforms designed to capture your attention through sensationalism and outrage.

The end result is that you spend time reading / watching something that somebody else wants you to watch, and you lose agency over your time and emotions. It’s not healthy.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-i-did-it-again/1023272/13 "2025-09-22T21:11:37Z")

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If someone recommends a YouTube. If I see it looks interesting and safe-ish(I always assume Dopers are careful to warn ahead) that’s it, I don’t go past it.

I’m brutal about what I won’t look at. I’m determined not to be brainwashed by people I’m not sure I know what their motives may be. Or if it’s a real person at all.

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**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-i-did-it-again/1023272/14 "2025-09-22T21:15:26Z")

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I’d like to cut off the news cycle, but my fear is that I won’t be able to understand next months news if I’m not keeping up with this month’s news. And/or it will be too overwhelming to make sense of.

That might not be a good reason, but it’s my reason. I probably should unplug for a while.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-i-did-it-again/1023272/15 "2025-09-22T21:19:34Z")

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It’s like soap operas, you miss a month and watch again. Nothing changes, really.

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**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oops-i-did-it-again/1023272/16 "2025-09-22T21:29:31Z")

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> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#):
>
> but my fear is that I won’t be able to understand next months news if I’m not keeping up with this month’s news

Maybe that’s a good thing? It often boils down to someone you’ve never heard of being pissed at somebody else you’d never heard of over something you never used to care about. It’s largely propaganda, marketing, and profit optimizing algorithms anyway.

Your level of knowledge of current events doesn’t materially impact anything outside your own head. Major and minor tragedies happen all the time, everywhere. That doesn’t mean you have to watch them or dwell on them.

If you want to take a break, do it. There’ll be plenty of new outrages when you return.
