It can feel almost impossible to escape doomscrolling, but that’s no accident—it’s by design. Social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube, and Instagram use algorithms specifically built to keep users engaged for as long as possible. While growing research suggests that this approach isn’t the healthiest way to browse the internet, these gamification tactics aren’t going away anytime soon. In the meantime, WikiTok offers a way to break the cycle.

Figure 1. WikiTok Might Help You Escape the Doomscrolling Trap.

The newly launched website, available on both mobile and desktop browsers, offers a fresh, potentially healthier way to spend time online. Inspired by TikTok’s scrolling format (hence the name), WikiTok eliminates algorithmic manipulation, serving up randomly selected Wikipedia entries instead. Each page includes an accompanying image, and users can either click through to read more or swipe up to discover the next article—without the usual pitfalls of misinformation, AI-generated content, or toxic comment sections. Figure 1. WikiTok Might Help You Escape the Doomscrolling Trap.

WikiTok came together in just a matter of hours. On February 3rd, developer Tyler Angert shared an “insane project idea” on X: “all of Wikipedia on a single, scrollable page.” Bloomberg Beta VC James Cham followed up with the concept of an “infinitely scrolling Wikipedia page based on whatever you are interested in next,” prompting Angert to coin the name “WikiTok.”

That same night, programmer Isaac Gemal saw the exchange and got to work. With the help of generative AI tools like Claude and the coding editor Cursor, he built a working prototype in just an hour and a half—bringing WikiTok to life by early Tuesday morning.

"The code is very simple—there’s no backend at all, actually," Gemal explained in a post on Y Combinator’s Hacker News forum. "Wikipedia’s API is very permissive, so you can just make requests from the frontend. You simply request random articles, get some snippets, and the image attached!"

In an interview with Ars Technica last week, Gemal estimated that AI tools handled about "90 percent of the heavy lifting" but noted that there’s still room for optimization. In just a few scrolls, WikiTok users might encounter topics as varied as Nielluccio (a red wine grape varietal), the U.S. Special Operations Command parachute team, or the history of ancient Roman-Armenian relations. It’s a randomized grab bag of trivia—one Gemal is committed to keeping free from targeted algorithms, despite suggestions to incorporate them.

"I put my foot down several days ago, and people have mostly been respectful," Gemal told Popular Science. "I think people are getting a bit tired of algorithm-driven content and want something different."

He likened WikiTok to StumbleUpon, a once-popular early 2010s service that directed users to random websites based on their interests.

"I think we may be entering a cycle where people want a more primitive form of the internet, where they can explore weird, unknown things organically," Gemal said.

While he acknowledged the challenges surrounding generative AI tools like Claude and Cursor, he also highlighted their ability to help bring projects like WikiTok to life quickly.

"Ultimately, generative AI allows people to turn their thoughts into words, code, images, etc., very quickly—for better or worse," he explained. "Unfortunately, there isn’t a clear-cut, one-size-fits-all answer on how to navigate this, given how fast the landscape is changing. We’re headed for some strange times."

WikiTok may not be a perfect antidote to doomscrolling, but at the very least, it offers a refreshing way to break the cycle.

Source:POPULAR SCIENCE

Cite this article:

Priyadharshini S (2025),”Wikitok Could Be the Solution to Your Doomscrolling Habit", AnaTechMaz, pp. 220