I-Doomscrolling: Kungani Uqhubeka Ufunda Izindaba Ezimbi Ezikuzwisa Ubuhlungu

Sekuhambile isikhathi. Udinga ukulala. Izindaba zimnyama, futhi ukuswayipha ngakunye kwenza izinto zibe zimbi nakakhulu — ukukhathazeka okwengeziwe, ukuphelelwa yithemba okwengeziwe, nokungakwazi ukuhlala uthule okwengeziwe. Kodwa isithupha sakho siqhubeka nokuhamba, sikudonsela esihlokweni esisodwa futhi, kwenye indatshana, kwenye inhlekelele. Awukujabuleli. Awukwazi ukuyeka. Siyakwamukela ku doomscrolling: ukufunda izindaba ezimbi ungakwazi ukuzibamba, sekudlule kakhulu lapho sekungakusize khona.

Ukushesha ukukubiza ngokuthi inkinga yokungazibambi akuboni okwenzeka ngempela. I-doomscrolling akukhona ubuthakathaka — kuwumuzwa wakudala wokusinda oshayisana nendawo yolwazi eyakhelwe ukusisebenzisa. Uma usuwuqonda lo mshikashika, nendlela yokuphuma iba sobala kakhulu. Yilokhu okwenza ingqondo yakho ikwenze, okwenza kubonakale sengathi akunakwenzeka ukuyeka, nokuthi yini ngempela ephula lo mjikelezo.

Ingqondo yakho yenza kahle lokho eyakhelwe ukukwenza

Qala ngeqiniso elingakhululekile: ukuskrola izindaba ezimbi ungaphezi kuyindlela ingqondo yakho esebenza kahle ngayo, kodwa isemvelweni engafanele. Abantu banokuthambekela okwakhelwe ngaphakathi kokunaka izinsongo kakhulu kunezindaba ezinhle. Esikhathini esiningi somlando wethu, lokho kwakusindisa ukuphila. Lowo owayelokhu elandela umsindo wokunyakaza ezihlahleni wasinda; lowo owayekushaya indiva wadliwa. Izindaba ezimbi zazingulwazi ongakwazi ukulushaya indiva.

Ngakho ingqondo yakho iphatha izihloko zezindaba ezimbi njengezinsongo eziphuthumayo, okufanele wazi ngazo — futhi ikunikeza umuzwa wokukhululeka njalo uma ubheka, sengathi usanda kuhlola umkhathizwe ufuna ingozi. Inkinga ukuthi umkhathizwe manje awunasiphetho. Kuhlale kunenye ingozi eseduze ngokuswayipha okukodwa, futhi uhlelo lwakho lokubona izinsongo, olwathuthuka emhlabeni onezingozi ezinomkhawulo, alunayo inkinobho yokucisha yokuphakelwa kwezindaba okungapheli.

Ukuskrola izindaba ezisabekayo akusona isici esibi sobuntu. Kuwumuzwa wokuzisindisa — hlola izinsongo, uhlale unolwazi, uhlale uphephile — osebenza ngaphakathi emshinini okhiqiza izinsongo ezingapheli ongazibheka. Lowo muzwa wakudala. Ugibe lusha ngokuphelele.

Kungani kubonakala kungenzeki ukuyeka

Inkohliso yokulawula

Ingxenye yalokho okukwenza uqhubeke upheqa isithembiso esicashile: uma ngiqonda kahle ngokwanele lolu songo, ngizozizwa ngilawula lona. Ukufunda okunye ukuhlaziya, okunye ukubuyekeza, kuzizwa sengathi kufanele kuqede ukukhathazeka. Kodwa ngezinsongo ezinkulu, ezingaqondakali — impi ekude, umnotho, isimo sezulu — akukho ukufunda okuningi okunikeza ukulawula, ngoba akukho ongakwenza khona manjalo. Ngakho ukukhathazeka akupheli, futhi uqhubeka ufuna lokho kupheliswa okungaze kufike. Umjikelezo ovulekile lowo okuphakelayo okujabulela ukuwugcina uvulekile unomphela.

Imivuzo engalindelekile, futhi

Phezu kwalokho kukhona leso simiso somvuzo esiguquguqukayo esiqhuba konke ukupheqa okungelula ukukuyeka: iningi lefidi liyizinto ezingasho lutho, kodwa ngezikhathi ezithile kuba khona isibuyekezo esibaluleke ngempela — futhi yilokho kungabikezeleki okuyikho kanye okwenza lokhu kuziphatha kube nzima kangaka ukukuyeka. Ubuchopho bakho buqhubeka budonsa isibambo ngoba ukudonsa okulandelayo kungase kube yilona olubalulekile. Sichaza le ndlela esihlokweni sethu mayelana ne-isayensi yobuchopho bokusebenzisa ifoni ngokungelula ukuyeka.

Okukwenza kuwe ngempela

Lokhu akuyona into engenabungozi. Ucwaningo ngezikhathi lapho izindaba zenhlekelele zigcwele luhlanganise ukusebenzisa kakhulu imithombo yezindaba ecindezelayo nokucindezeleka okuphezulu okungalinganiswa, ukukhathazeka, ngisho nezimpawu zomzimba. Umsebenzi ovelele kaRoxane Cohen Silver nozakwabo wathola ukuthi ukuchayeka kaningi emithonjeni yezindaba ekuhlukumezekeni okuhlangene kungase kuhlotshaniswe kakhulu nokucindezeleka kunokuchayeka ngqo kuleso senzakalo uqobo — ukubikwa kwaso, okwakudliwa kuphindaphindwa, nako kwadala umonakalo wako.

Kukhona nenkinga yesikhathi esibi futhi. Ukuskrola izindaba ezimbi kuvame kakhulu ebusuku, usembhedeni, lapho ukuzibamba sekuphansi kakhulu futhi izivikelo zosuku sezibuthakathaka. Futhi leso yisikhathi esibi kakhulu sokwenza lokho: ugcwalisa ubuchopho obuvele budiniwe, obusehla kancane, ngezinto ezisongelayo nezivusa ukukhathazeka, uphazamisa ubuthongo futhi utshala ukukhathazeka kosuku olulandelayo. Igumbi lokulala yilapho ukuskrola izindaba ezimbi kulimaza khona kakhulu — bheka indatshana yethu ethi kungani ifoni yakho akufanele ilale eduze kwakho.

Futhi ngokubaluleka, akuvamile ukukwenza ube nolwazi olungcono nganoma iyiphi indlela ewusizo. Ukugcwala ngezihloko ezikhathazayo akufani nokuba nolwazi — ngokuvamile kusho ukumunca uchungechunge lwezindaba olugcwele imizwa kodwa olungenamongo, olukhulisa ukukhathazeka kwakho ngaphandle kokukwenza ukwazi ukuthatha isinyathelo kangcono. Umuzwa wokuhlala unolwazi kanye neqiniso laso sekuhlukene.

Indlela yokuphula lo mjikelezo

Njengoba ukuskrola izindaba ezimbi kuwumkhuba wemvelo odukile kunokuba kube ukwehluleka kokuzilawula, izixazululo ezisebenzayo ziqondene nesakhiwo nendlela yokubona izinto kabusha, hhayi ngamandla entando. Ucwaningo ngokukhathazeka, ukusetshenziswa kwemidiya, nomkhuba lukhomba izinyathelo ezimbalwa ezithembekile:

• Nikeza izindaba umkhawulo. Khetha isikhathi nomthombo okhethekile wokubheka izindaba — kanye noma kabili ngosuku, usebenzisa umthombo onomongo esikhundleni sokuphakelwa okungapheli. Iwindi elilinganiselwe lihlangabezana nesidingo esifanele sokuhlala unolwazi ngaphandle komjikelezo ongapheli.
• Faka isithiyo ngezikhathi eziyingozi. Gcina ifoni ingekho ekamelweni lokulala futhi ingekho kuwe phakathi namahora okuphumula ngaphambi kokulala. Ukuskrola izindaba ezesabisa kuyachuma lapho idivayisi itholakala masinyane lapho usuyehlise ukuqapha; susa ukufinyelela futhi lowo mkhuba awunanto ongasebenza ngayo.
• Guqula ukukhathazeka kube yisenzo — noma ukudedela ngokuzimisela. Uma usongo luyinto ongathatha isinyathelo kuyo (nikela, vota, lungiselela), yenza leso senzo bese uvala leyo ndaba. Uma ngempela kungekho ongakwenza, yisho lokho: "akukho engingakwenza lapha manje." Ukuqamba lokho kungabi-nokwenza kusiza ubuchopho buyeke ukufuna ukulawula okungekho khona.
• Susa ngokungaxegi. Thulisa, yeka ukulandela, bese ususa ama-akhawunti nezinhlelo zokusebenza ezandisa usongo nje kuphela. Awufihli eqinisweni — wenqaba ukugeleza okwenzelwe ukukhulisa ukwethuka kwakho.
• Beka okunye esikhundleni, ungagcini ngokususa. Isifiso sokuskrola ngokuvamile sifihla umuzwa ongaphansi — isizungu, isithukuthezi, ukwesaba okukhulu. Ukuba nenye into oya kuyo kulezo zikhathi kubaluleke kakhulu kunokuzibamba nje.

Umqondo oyinhloko uyafana nalowo wemikhuba yefoni ngokujwayelekile: shintsha indawo nendlela okubheka ngayo izinto, kunokuzama ukuzibamba ngesikhathi sangempela ulandele umgudu ongapheli wezinsongo. Ukuze uthole indlela ebanzi, bheka umhlahlandlela wethu wokuthi ukunciphisa isikhathi sesikrini ngaphandle kwamandla okuzithiba.

Iphuzu eliyinhloko

Ukuphequlula izindaba ezimbi ngokungaphezi kungazwakala sengathi kuyiphutha lakho, kodwa empeleni kuyisoftware yakho yakudala yokusinda esebenza ku-hardware eyakhelwe ukuyisebenzisa. Umkhuba wokubheka izinsongo nokuhlala unolwazi unempilo. Kodwa lowo mfula ongapheli wezindaba ezimbi, ongeke wenze lutho ngawo, nowandiswa ama-algorithm, lowo mkhuba osuwondla wona awunampilo.

Akudingeki ukhethe phakathi kokuhlala unolwazi nokuba kahle. Nikeza izindaba isikhathi nendawo, zisuse ekufinyeleleni ebuchosheni bakho obukhathele ngo-1 ekuseni, yenza ongakwenza bese uyeka ngamabomu lokho ongeke ukwazi ukukwenza. Lo mjikelezo uhlala ungaphukile kuphela inqobo nje uma okuphakelayo kwezindaba kuyona enqumayo ukuthi usufunde ngokwanele nini. Buyisa leso sinqumo kuwe, bese lowo muzwa wobumnyama ulahlekelwa iningi lamandla awo okukubamba.

Sources

1. Rozin, P., & Royzman, E.B. (2001). Negativity bias, negativity dominance, and contagion. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 5(4), 296–320.
2. Holman, E.A., Garfin, D.R., & Silver, R.C. (2014). Media's role in broadcasting acute stress following the Boston Marathon bombings. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(1), 93–98.
3. Garfin, D.R., Silver, R.C., & Holman, E.A. (2020). The novel coronavirus (COVID-2019) outbreak: Amplification of public health consequences by media exposure. Health Psychology, 39(5), 355–357.
4. Soroka, S., Fournier, P., & Nir, L. (2019). Cross-national evidence of a negativity bias in psychophysiological reactions to news. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(38), 18888–18892.
5. Shabahang, R., Hwang, H., Thomas, E.F., Aruguete, M.S., McCutcheon, L.E., et al. (2024). Doomscrolling evokes existential anxiety and fosters pessimism about human nature? Evidence from Iran and the United States. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 15, 100438.

Indlela esicwaninga futhi sibuyekeze ngayo lokhu