Digital Incarceration: Why Doomscrolling Leads to Emotional Numbness

Escaping Digital Incarcerations Podcast with Leron Gaskins · Feb 3, 2026 · 18m

Have you ever looked at a tragedy on your screen and felt absolutely nothing? You aren't heartless—you are likely suffering from "Digital Incarceration."

In this episode, I share a personal realization I had at JFK airport. While the world around me was moving, I saw the news that PnB Rock had been killed and realized I had become numb. I didn't cry. I wasn't shocked. I just kept scrolling. This led me down a path to figure out: How did we go from the "Cultural Pause" of the 90s—when the deaths of giants like Biggie and Tupac stopped the world—to an era where tragedy is just another pixel on…