⚠️ Break Free from Pocket Doom

👋 Welcome! Doomscrolling sneaks into our days like background static, chipping away at clarity and calm. Today’s issue uncovers why it hooks us—and how to break the loop before it shapes our mood and momentum.

Music Icons Protest AI With Silent Album — Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Sam Fender and others released a silent protest album warning that AI training on artists’ work threatens creativity and copyright. The vinyl’s tracklist spells out a message to lawmakers as AI-generated music floods streaming platforms and disrupts the industry.

Experts Warn EU Chat Control Still Risky — European privacy academics say the revised Chat Control bill still poses major surveillance and security risks, despite dropping mandatory scanning. Expanded text detection, inaccurate AI filters, and new age-verification rules could expose users to broad monitoring and data collection.

Porsche Unveils Its Most Powerful EV Yet — Porsche revealed the Cayenne Turbo Electric—its most powerful production model ever, delivering 1,156hp, 1,500Nm of torque and 0–62mph in 2.5 seconds. With a 398-mile range, the high-performance SUV marks a major step in Porsche’s electric future.

TikTok Adds Tools to Curb Doomscrolling — TikTok is introducing new digital well-being features—including an affirmation journal, calming sound generator, breathing exercises, and badges that reward healthy usage. Teens now can earn badges for sticking to screen-time limits or avoiding late-night scrolling.

CIOs Take On More AI but Lack Support — Research shows CIOs are increasingly responsible for enterprise AI rollouts, yet many say processes and support haven’t kept pace. While collaboration with CEOs and CFOs is rising, coordination with data and security leaders remains low—even as data security is the top AI concern.

AI Security Concerns Grow While Cloud Adoption Rises — AWS reports over 90% of companies plan to boost IT, cloud, and cybersecurity spending as cloud-based apps surge toward 75% next year. Yet worries around AI persist: firms are split between viewing it as a security ally and a major compliance risk amid rising breach rates.

AI Job Pressures Push Some Toward the Dark Web — With junior tech roles shrinking and screenings tightening, young workers are drifting to illicit virtual marketplaces, where applicants average just 24 and pay often exceeds legitimate tech roles. Kaspersky warns today’s talent drain risks becoming tomorrow’s security threat.

Summers Exits OpenAI Board After Epstein File Release — Larry Summers, an OpenAI board member, resigned after Congress published emails revealing inappropriate exchanges with Jeffrey Epstein, including messages about a mentee. Summers is stepping back from public roles as scrutiny intensifies.

Lambda Secures $1.5B for GPU Expansion — AI data-center provider Lambda raised $1.5B led by TWG Global, following its multibillion-dollar Microsoft deal. With tens of thousands of Nvidia GPUs in play, Lambda is emerging as a major CoreWeave rival amid surging demand for U.S. AI compute.

Adobe Buys Semrush for $1.9B — Adobe is acquiring Semrush for $1.9B, paying $12/share—nearly double Tuesday’s close—as brands race to optimize for AI search. With AI-driven traffic to retail sites up 1,200% YoY, Adobe is betting “generative engine optimization” becomes the next major marketing channel.

$1B Nuclear Revival Deal Signals AI-Driven Energy Shift — DOE approved a $1B loan to restart Three Mile Island’s Unit 1, backed by Microsoft’s 20-year power-purchase pact for the 835MW output—highlighting how soaring AI energy demand is reshaping U.S. energy financing and infrastructure strategy.

Strong Buyer’s Market, Big Affordability Catch — Despite a record 36.8% more sellers than buyers in October, affordability is choking demand: 75 of the top 100 U.S. markets remain overvalued, prices were still 1.2% higher YoY, and mortgage rates hover roughly 2× pandemic levels.

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In today’s hyper-connected world, the habit known as “doom-scrolling”—the compulsive consumption of distressing news or social media updates—has emerged as a serious threat to mental and physical well-being.

A 2025 study titled The Roles of Doomscrolling and Psychological Adjustment found a clear association between continuous negative news consumption and increased trait anxiety. Additionally, other investigations identified social-media and news-related internet use as significant predictors of higher perceived stress over time, especially when the content was negative.

Why is it so damaging? One explanation lies in the brain’s “alarm system.” A recent article in National Geographic describes how repeated exposure to scary, graphic or unsettling content triggers the amygdala and interferes with emotional regulation. This results in a heightened stress response—elevated heart-rate, poor sleep, hormone imbalance—and over time, a brain rewired for constant vigilance rather than calm focus.

Beyond the neurobiology, there are behavioural consequences. Frequent doom-scrollers report higher levels of anxiety, diminished social interaction quality, and significant sleep disturbances—even when they didn’t consciously recognize the pattern. That means the habit doesn’t just make us feel worse—it erodes how we live, relate and recover.

So what can you do? Practical steps matter. Intolerance of uncertainty—our inability to tolerate not knowing—reportedly drives the scroll-loop. Recognising that loop puts you in the driver’s seat: set a timer, disable push-alerts, and replace one doom-scrolling session with a short walk or a book. Simple, but impactful.

Doom-scrolling is more than a bad habit—it’s a behavioural stress-generator with visible cognitive, emotional and physical costs backed by recent research. By addressing it proactively—limiting negative-news exposure, creating phone-free zones, and doing one offline activity per scroll session—you reclaim control over how you engage with the world. The choice isn’t just to scroll less—it’s to live better.

Actionable Insights

1948

marked the launch of the first-ever vinyl album with a Mendelssohn violin concerto — instantly redefining how the world consumed music.