Democrats Have Replaced ‘Doom Scrolling’ With ‘Hope Scrolling’ After Biden Stepped Down & Endorsed Kamala
After all we've been through as a country, we deserve some hope.
Lev radin / ArChe1999 / Shutterstock / Cawisstudio /pixelshot /Trendify / Canva When President Joe Biden announced that he would be withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race, some of us breathed a sigh of relief.
More Americans feel optimistic about the upcoming election now that Biden has stepped down, with many Democrats hoping that Kamala Harris will turn the tide.
They are sharing their positive thoughts on social media and have ushered a new promising outlook on the state of our nation, replacing our usual “doom scrolling” with “hope scrolling.”
‘Hope scrolling’ has become a more popular concept on social media among Democrats after Biden stepped down and endorsed Kamala Harris.
If you’re an avid social media user, you’ve likely heard of “doom scrolling.” Doom scrolling is the act of scouring social media and taking in large quantities of mostly negative news.
Most of us who doom scroll often do so in the evenings before we close our eyes for the night, constantly waving our pointer fingers up and down against our phone screens as we read up on tragic stories about parents leaving their children in hot cars, how war and famine has nearly wiped out an entire population — and if you’re American — how we’re all pretty much doomed this Presidential election with our candidate options.
According to one study, younger adults who actively follow politics are more likely to spend their free time doom scrolling, and it can lead to harmful effects on their emotional well-being.
Constantly reading up on negative news stories can lead to an increased sense of stress and anxiety, burnout, and hopelessness. In severe cases, it can even lead to panic attacks.
Before Biden dropped out of the Presidential race, many Americans, notably Democrats, found themselves doom scrolling for hours on end and could not escape comments regarding Biden’s confusion at recent public events, his aging, and the notion that he was simply not capable of taking on Trump in a fair campaign.
When many Americans opened their newsfeeds on Sunday, July 21, they were relieved to see a post from Biden stating that he would not be seeking re-election in the fall.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” he wrote in an Instagram post.
Many Americans on both sides of the fray applauded Biden for his selfless decision to put the best interests of his country and his party ahead of himself.
And for the first time in a long time, Democrats felt hopeful about the upcoming election and having a more suitable candidate they could feel confident in at the polls.
“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s the best decision I’ve made,” Biden shared in a follow-up post.
“Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Harris promises to be the President that Americans deserve.
“I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda,” she wrote in an X (formerly known as Twitter) post.
Since Biden's announcement, many former doom scrollers have adopted the concept of 'hope scrolling,' where they focus on more optimistic perspectives in news and media.
Even if Harris was not their first choice, some Americans are hopeful about potentially having the first female President come November and are urging others to take on a similar sense of hope.
Additionally, there's a sense of excitement to watch what Harris can do with this opportunity. Regardless of political affiliation, her resume is impressive.
A fresh new perspective with exceptional public speaking skills feels like winning the lottery after weeks of feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place.
While there will certainly be those, even Democrats, who hold an unfavorable view of Harris, there are some things on her resume that stand out to people who believe she makes an ideal candidate.
Harris boasts quite the list of accomplishments that are often overlooked, such as being San Francisco’s first female district attorney and California’s first female attorney general.
She is also an outspoken advocate for women's reproductive rights, backing federal legislation that would guarantee women national rights to abortion.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed that Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump are neck and neck with statistical voters at 44%. Harris also holds slightly higher approval ratings than Biden since age and competence are not concerns for her.
While there is no denying that Harris has her flaws and she won't appeal to everyone, some Democrats believe that she has the capabilities to take down Trump in the upcoming election and that she will be a true American trailblazer.
Many supporters are choosing to focus on Harris's positive attributes that will make her a great President and are sharing their optimism with others on social media to break them out of their negative outlook.
With all of the turmoil unfolding around the world, we all need the time to open social media and read stories or watch videos that give us hope for the future.
Not everything is going to be perfect and the weight of the world should not solely be on your shoulders to fix.
So even when you feel as if life is crumbling around you, try to sit back, relax, and watch videos of people being surprised with a new pet, learn how to bake some of your favorite treats or anything that makes you smile, and forget your worries for a few moments. Or better yet, watch videos of other people, just like you, feeling hopeful for what our country is capable of. People who are hopeful that there are politicians who will actually make decisions because they are the right thing to do for their country.
We all deserve this moment of hope.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.