Doomscrolling, binge watching, ghosting... you do it too and you don't even know it.

You open Instagram “just for five minutes.” You close TikTok after an hour. You start watching an episode on Netflix and, without realizing it, you're already on the third season. Meanwhile, you ignore one message, then two, then disappear altogether.

Welcome to the world of digital Anglicisms: words born online that describe everyday behaviors related to technology. The point is that they don't describe others. They describe us.

In recent years, language has adapted to a life increasingly mediated by smartphones, platforms, and social media. Some terms have gone viral because they manage to give a name to feelings and habits that we experience every day, often without realizing it.

Doomscrolling: when bad news never ends

Doomscrolling is the habit of compulsively scrolling through negative content: dramatic news, global crises, toxic comments. You keep doing it even if it makes you anxious, even if you know it won't make you feel better.

It is one of the most emblematic behaviors of the human-technology relationship: the algorithm shows you what keeps you glued to the screen, not what is good for you. The result is an endless loop of information, fear, and mental fatigue.

Binge watching: just one episode... or maybe not

Binge watching is the serial and compulsive consumption of streaming content. It starts as a pleasure, but often becomes automatic. You no longer choose what to watch: you let the platform decide.

Time expands, the “next episode” starts on its own, and technology drives the rhythm of your evenings. It's not just entertainment: it's a form of continuous immersion that reduces breaks, silence, and boredom.

Ghosting and soft ghosting: disappearing has become normal

Ghosting is the sudden interruption of all communication without explanation. In digital relationships, it has become almost socially acceptable: it's easier to disappear than to face an uncomfortable conversation.

There is also soft ghosting, which is more subtle: slow, vague responses, emojis instead of words. Technology makes relationships more accessible, but also more fragile and easily broken.

Phubbing: being present, but not really

During dinner, a lesson, a meeting: you look at your phone instead of people. It's called phubbing (phone + snubbing) and it's one of the most widespread and least recognized behaviors.

It's not just rudeness. It's a sign of an increasingly low attention span and a growing difficulty in staying in the present moment without a screen.

Bed rotting and brain rot: when the body stops, but the mind doesn't

Bed rotting describes those days spent in bed scrolling, watching TV series, and scrolling through social media, for no real reason. It's not rest, it's not productivity: it's digital stagnation.

Brain rot, on the other hand, is the feeling of a “brain shutdown” after hours of fast-paced content, short videos, and constant stimuli. Technology doesn't tire you physically, but it does tire you mentally.

FOMO: the fear of missing out

FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) is the anxiety of missing something if you are not always connected. Events, trends, stories, messages: everything happens online and seems urgent.

This state of constant alertness reinforces the bond of dependence on smartphones. Technology promises connection, but often fuels comparison and insecurity.

Clout chasing: visibility at any cost

Clout chasing is the obsessive pursuit of online attention: likes, views, followers. It doesn't matter what you post, only how well it performs.

Here, the relationship between humans and technology is reversed: you no longer use social media to express yourself, but mold yourself to please the algorithm. Identity becomes content.

Lurking and breadcrumbing: half-hearted interactions

Lurking is observing everything without ever interacting. You look at stories, profiles, other people's lives, but remain invisible. It is passive participation, typical of the social media era.

Breadcrumbing, on the other hand, is sending minimal signals—a like, a reaction—to maintain a connection without real involvement. Even relationships become “low effort.”

Digital detox: solution or illusion?

Digital detox is the answer to all this: switching off, disconnecting, taking a break. But it is not a permanent escape. Rather, it is an attempt to renegotiate our relationship with technology.

The problem is not screens, but the unconscious way we use them.

Giving a name to understand better

These terms work because they do something simple but powerful: they give a name to invisible behaviors. Recognizing them is not about judging ourselves, but about understanding.

If you find yourself in more than one of these definitions, you are not alone. It means you live in the present, in a hyper-connected world, where the line between online and offline is increasingly blurred.

The real question is not “do you do it too?”, but “how aware are you of doing it?”