Newly-minted words: doomsurfing and infodemic

SEELEY LAKE – COVID-19 has infected not only our bodies but also our language. Three interesting new words arising from the pandemic are doomsurfing (and its companion doomscrolling) and infodemic.

Whether or not Kevin Roose originated the phrase doomsurfing, he certainly offers a vivid definition of it in his New York Times April 20, 2020 article: “I’ve been doing a lot of this kind of doomsurfing recently — falling into deep, morbid rabbit holes filled with coronavirus content, agitating myself to the point of physical discomfort, erasing any hope of a good night’s sleep.”

Doomsurfing refers...