Deslizando-se nos feeds das plataformas de mídia social: delineamento teórico-conceitual do doomscrolling na ciência da informação

Abstract

The word doomscrolling refers to the contemporary habit of spending time scrolling— that is, accessing, exploring, and consuming—content in social media platform feeds. Doomscrolling constitutes a developing theoretical and scientific construct and has been investigated across different academic fields. Due to its involvement with content, people, and technologies, it is established as a research object amenable to investigation within the field of Information Science. Its general objective is to develop a theoretical-conceptual perspective on doomscrolling in the context of Information Science. The research is grounded in the quadripolar theoretical-methodological model, has a theoretical-propositional nature, adopts a qualitative approach, pursues descriptive-explanatory objectives, employs a deductive method of reasoning, and is supported by theoretical frameworks such as complex thinking, concept theory, and definition theory. Between 2023 and 2024, bibliographic surveys were conducted in national and international databases (Scopus, OpenAlex, Brapci, and Google Scholar) regarding doomscrolling. In addition, the interfaces of six social media platforms (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook) in their mobile smartphone application versions were analyzed from the perspective of information architecture, in order to identify functionalities and elements that may foster the development of doomscrolling. The study presents conceptual constructions regarding doomscrolling, social media platforms, and digital content objects within the context of Information Science. The results indicate that doomscrolling is a complex social phenomenon influenced by sociocultural, psycho-emotional, technological, informational, and communicational factors, which interact in a dynamic of cause and effect. Within Information Science, doomscrolling may be understood as an infocommunicational phenomenon, an infotechnological phenomenon, an informational pathology, or informational normosis. As its main contribution, the study proposes a multidimensional theoretical-explanatory model of doomscrolling, organized into four analytical dimensions: (I) informational; (II) human; (III) technological; and (IV) sociocultural, political, legal, economic, situational, and contextual, constituting a framework for its investigation within Information Science. These dimensions are articulated with the paradigms and theoretical-methodological references of the field, consolidating doomscrolling as an object of study. Additionally, two definitions of doomscrolling are presented: one as a theoretical-scientific object and another for empirical studies involving non-scientific individuals. Finally, the conclusions suggest strategies for controlling, managing, and mitigating the phenomenon, highlighting the importance of expanding research on doomscrolling in Information Science and fostering public debate on its challenges.