Americans spend 2.5 hours a day ‘dreamscrolling’

A study conducted last month found that Americans spend around 2.5 hours a day or 873 hours a year “dreamscrolling,” aka, looking at dream purchases online. Gen Zs spent over 3 hours per day, while boomers spent only an hour.

Dreamscrolling is the opposite of “doomscrolling,” which is the act of constantly checking online for bad news. The term by Canadian journalist Karen K. Ho became popular during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both are distractions, but dreamscrolling can also be motivating. The poll by financial services firm Empower saw 71% of the 2,000 respondents say it helps them reach financial goals.

What are people dreamscrolling?
Popular dream items include shoes and accessories (49%), tech gadgets (30%), home decor (29%), vacations (25%), beauty products (23%) and homes (21%).

Around 56% of those surveyed have dream purchases saved in tabs or shopping carts, estimating it would cost about $86,593.40 to buy everything.

To keep dreamscrolling positive and avoid impulse buying, experts recommend setting time limits and focusing on saving to get to the goal.