Pennsylvanians: Now’s the time to intentionally scroll for joy. Here are some homegrown Instagram accounts to help you do just that.
If you’re anything like us, you’re prone to doomscrolling, AKA constantly scrolling online news. For some of us, it’s a way to stay up to date on the news amid an uncertain future. For others, it’s a thing that feeds our anxiety with information, however pessimistic it may be.
Either way, conservative estimates say one in three social media users engages in doomscrolling, with much higher shares of Gen Z (53%) and millennial adults (46%) doing it with negative effects on our mental and physical health. This can range from an upset stomach and headaches to depression and sleep problems.
The term “doomscrolling” emerged in 2020 and is defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary as “the tendency to continue to surf or scroll through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening, or depressing.”
Fortunately, though, there’s a solution—and it doesn’t even involve spending less time on your phone: You just have to be more intentional about what you’re consuming while you scroll.
Enter joyscrolling, or scrolling for the express purpose of seeking out happy content. For some it’s images of nature, for others it’s baby animals or memes.
You can find plenty of joy in your social feed, you just need to know where to look. Here are 10 Pennsylvania-based Instagram accounts that bring us plenty of joy:
Around_pittsburgh
These stunning pictures of sites in and around Pittsburgh speak for themselves.
GO Laurel Highlands
The Laurel Highlands is a region in Southwestern Pennsylvania made up of Fayette, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties. You just might be inspired to visit once you see all the natural beauty and quaint towns this area has to offer via its Instagram account.
Lehigh Valley With Love
If something cool and/or quirky happens in the Lehigh Valley, or even if it’s just Lehigh Valley adjacent—like comedian Pete Davidson rocking a Lehigh Athletics sweatshirt courtside at a basketball game—you’ll find it on Lehigh Valley With Love. Their coverage of Lehigh University students throwing the goal post in a river after the Mountain Hawks’ recent win over Lafayette was award-worthy.
NEPA photographer Tyler Adams
Explore the breathtaking vistas, vibrant waterfalls, and beautiful natural flora of Northeastern Pennsylvania through Adams’ Instagram account. Pro tip: Some of his loveliest pics can also be purchased as prints!
Old Philly Newspapers
Once upon a time you knew which way the wind was blowing in Philadelphia—literally and figuratively—by reading the newspaper. This gem of an IG account transports you to those days, with newspaper clippings that chronicle everything from old-school corruption to SEPTA fare hikes (45 cents!!!!!) to the Eagles’ very first game as a pro football franchise.
Only in Pennsylvania
You don’t know how beautiful this state is until you’ve seen the images on this IG account. From breathtaking natural wonders, to finding beauty in the different seasons, these images will definitely make you smile.
Pennsylvania Memes
We do things our own way here in Pennsylvania and this Instagram account is a great place to poke fun at ourselves. You can’t help but smile when scrolling through memes making fun of regional food, road conditions, and certain behaviors of our residents.
The Pennsylvania Wilds
The official Instagram account of the nonprofit nature tourism and conservation organization in North-central Pennsylvania will leave you with a smile thanks to its stunning pictures of the natural landscape and wildlife.
Pittsburgh photographer Dave DiCello
Pittsburgh is one of the most photogenic cities in the U.S., and DiCello’s IG account shows the Steel City in all its hilly, three-river-y glory. Want to see a double rainbow spanning downtown? Snow falling on the Clemente Bridge? The moon over PPG place? Then this account is for you.
Visit PA
The official Instagram account of the Pennsylvania Tourism Office, this feed is full of all the great things about Pennsylvania, from amazing landscape scenes to suggestions on weekend getaways.
