The online space for "recovered doomers"

The online space for “recovered doomers”
Sickened by the onslaught of terrible news, a corner of the internet is choosing hope

By Nicole Karlis
Senior Writer
Published September 25, 2025 6:30AM (EDT)


(Salon) After President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, Jay, a 49-year-old living in upstate New York, underwent a “total media blackout.” This meant he deleted social media and avoided the news as much as possible. As someone who struggled with a severe panic disorder, general anxiety and depression, he needed a break from reading about politics, which had become a toxic part of his life.

Jay, who asked not to have his last name published because of a fear of doxxing, said he’s lost friends because of politics and had familial relationships strained over the years. While he previously found Reddit to be a place of negative reactions to the news, nearly six weeks after his self-imposed blackout, he discovered the subreddit Political Optimism, a place where people take current U.S. and global political news, “find the silver lining” and “debunk the doom,” according to its mission statement.

“My mental health has improved since I found this sub because I found hope again,” Jay told Salon.

Hope and optimism, for many who are left-leaning on the political spectrum, are not synonymous with politics these days. According to a survey conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2024, 7 in 10 adults reported the future of the United States to be a significant source of stress in their lives. In the same survey, 32% of those who reported stress cited the current political climate as a source of strain between them and their family. Indeed, over the last few decades, research shows that the U.S. has been polarizing faster than other democracies, affecting people’s everyday lives.

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This approach should not be confused with toxic positivity, which is when people only look for the positive while negating any negative emotions. Nor should it be mistaken for blind optimism, which is when people can have an overly positive outlook and be in denial that something exists. Instead, it sits somewhere in between the doom-and-gloom takes on the news by grounding current events in facts. ................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2025/09/25/the-online-space-for-recovered-doomers/