Doomscrolling before the Smartphone: Media Saturation, Catastrophic News, and the Culture of Fear in Don DeLillo’s White Noise

Mandeep Kaur

doi:10.22161/jhed.8.5.5

Abstract

This paper analyzes Don DeLillo's White Noise using the modern notion of "doomscrolling," which is the repeated ingestion of unfavorable or frightening information in an attempt to comprehend, foresee, or manage danger. Even though DeLillo's book was written before cellphones and social media, its depictions of consumer culture, television, environmental disaster, and death dread provide a useful foundation for examining the psychological effects of constant information. Without actually portraying doomscrolling, the report contends that White Noise foresees zero significant aspects of digital crisis culture. The main episode, the Airborne Toxic Event, shows how rumors, official statements, scientific terminology, and media spectacle can entangle a material threat. This work examines repetition, mediated perception, uncertainty, and the need for assurance, drawing on postmodern critique, media ecology, and risk theory. It also takes into account the limitations of the analogy: the broadcast channels of the novel's historical period are not the same as modern platforms. In the end, White Noise makes the argument that while knowledge may be essential for reacting to danger, it may not be enough to eradicate dread. As a result, the book is still relevant to a digital society where looking for updates can turn into a constant struggle with uncertainty.

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