Doomscrolling in the Age of Abundance

The clear-eyed guide to staying well-informed without losing hope—or losing your life to doomscrolling.

We live in an age of abundance: more information to access, more things to own, more examples of human progress than ever before. And yet, for many of us, the world feels worse than ever.

That disconnect is not an accident. Our brains are wired to notice danger, and for the first time in history, an entire infrastructure has been built around us to keep that instinct activated. The result is a distorted sense of the world—one that can leave us anxious, numb, and convinced that decline is inevitable.

In Doomscrolling in the Age of Abundance, Emma Varvaloucas, journalist and executive director of The Progress Network, offers a practical guide to understanding just how much the ways we consume and obtain information have shifted profoundly toward the negative since the arrival of smartphones and social media—and how to resist their pull.

Readers will learn to:

• Understand how negativity bias and the modern media environment distort reality
• Recognize the difference between staying informed and staying activated
• Build healthier boundaries around our devices, social media, and the news generally
• Find credible, constructive voices and underreported stories of progress
• Combat helplessness with clearer thinking, grounded hope, and meaningful action

At a time when pessimism often masquerades as realism, Doomscrolling in the Age of Abundance offers a smarter way to understand the world—and a reminder that the future remains unwritten.