Why Missile Alerts and War Updates Trigger Doomscrolling

Farah Ibrahim Culture Mar 3, 2026 5:00 AM Why Missile Alerts and War Updates Trigger Doomscrolling A combination of war alerts, breaking news updates, and algorithmic feeds are trapping users in a threat-monitoring loop. Play/Pause Button Animation: WIRED MIDDLE EAST STAFF; GETTY IMAGES Save this story Save this story As missiles crossed the Persian Gulf this weekend and explosions were reported across the region, millions of people did the same thing: They reached for their phones. Within minutes, social media feeds filled with videos, breaking news alerts, and speculation about what might happen next. The strikes followed the US-Israel attacks inside Iran earlier in the week, triggering a wave of retaliatory missile launches and air defense interceptions across several Gulf states. Moments like this are when social media can quickly turn into doomscrolling —the compulsive consumption of bad news delivered through endless updates, alerts, and algorithmically amplified crises. A quick check for information can easily spiral into a stream of war updates, political instability , cyberattacks, and constant crisis coverage. In the days since the first strikes, that stream has only intensified. Videos of missile interceptions, airspace closures, and cyber incidents (as well as plenty of misinformation ) have circulated online within minutes of each new development. With confirmed information emerging slowly but updates arriving constantly, many users find themselves refreshing feeds repeatedly, trying to piece together events in real time. What feels like staying informed can quickly become a feedback loop between the brain’s threat-detection system and platforms engineered to keep users engaged. Not all scrolling works the same way. Alexander TR Sharpe, an associate lecturer at the University of Chichester, draws a distinction between doomscrolling and what some call “dopamine scrolling.” “Doomscrolling refers to repetitive consumption of negative or crisis-related info...