Scroll, Search, and Stress: Understanding the Surge of Cyberchondria in a Hyperconnected World

The Internet and digital technology have made life easy to the level that it was once a dream for everyone. From entertainment to information gaining, educational purposes, medical advice, legal concerns, and other government proceedings like submission of any applications, etc., it has become more convenient and readily available at one's fingertips. This study intends to provide a conceptual understanding of the growth of digital technologies influencing the mental health of people. Reports on the growth of internet usage and its effects on mental health, as well as studies after 2000 focusing on online information seeking, problematic smartphone usage, Intolerance of Uncertainty, Cyberchondria etc., mainly after COVID-19, were reviewed. The researcher used a conceptual narrative approach to explain the multidisciplinary studies on these areas and explained a theoretical framework. This paper indicates that digital spaces are easy to access and reduce uncertainties for the time being, but repeated usage can aggravate health anxieties, including behaviors like cyberchondria. Pharmacological treatments, along with psychosocial assessment and psychotherapies, help in treating or managing cyberchondria. Multidisciplinary research can be done focusing on the empirical testing of the proposed relationships, and development and evaluation of digital health literacy and online health information seeking can also be done in future.