The end of the world is trending. Why are we so obsessed with the apocalypse?

It's the end of the world as we know it, and Jay Baruchel feels fine.

On the second season of his Crave series We're All Gonna Die (Even Jay Baruchel), which launched last week, the host and namesake explores several possible apocalyptic scenari‐ os, from insect extinction to a world ruled by artificial intel‐ ligence.

"I think we are all under‐ standably anxious and con‐ stantly at odds with the wor‐ ld and civilization," Baruchel told CBC News recently. "And so when we get to, like, have a moment where we can go, 'Yeah, it's a garbage fire,' I think there is like a strange relief."

The Ottawa actor is not alone in his fascination with the end times, if streaming services and the box office are any indication.

Canadian director Caitlin Cronenberg released her de‐ but feature film Humane on Friday, a dark comedy featur‐ ing Baruchel that imagines a not-so-distant future where overpopulation is addressed with human culls.

Alex Garland's dystopian Civil War has topped the box office two weekends in a row, while post-apocalyptic TV se‐ ries Fallout, based on a popu‐ lar video game, is No. 1 on Amazon Prime.

This comes on the heels of other massively successful apocalyptic shows like HBO's The Last of Us and Netflix movie Leave the World Be‐ hind, which featured stars Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali.

'More ever'

Chris Begley, an archaeol‐ popular than ogist and author of The Next Apocalypse: The Art and Sci‐ ence of Survival, says apoca‐ lyptic narratives in the media have always been a reflection of the times, going all the way back to ancient religious texts.

He suspects the current wave is driven by the anxiety people feel about issues such as climate change and politi‐ cal uncertainty.

"One thing is clear: apoca‐ lyptic narratives are more popular than ever," Begley said.

He says the first few mon‐ ths of the COVID-19 pandem‐ ic were the closest thing many audiences have experi‐ enced to a potential apoca‐ lyptic scenario. Real-life even‐ ts such as the pandemic, worsening wildfires and ris‐ ing sea levels encourage us to imagine those futures.

And even if the overall messaging feels dark, the narratives contain aspects of life many people want.

"If you think about some of these apocalyptic narra‐ tives, it really is like resetting everything. You're getting rid of the baggage. You're able to start anew, or perhaps you're able to have this ideal future that mirrors in some ways the things you wish would happen," Begley said.

'New technology' tap‐ ping into 'a very old de‐ sire'

Coltan Scrivner, a behaviour‐ al scientist who studies hor‐ ror, true crime and morbid curiosity, says while humans have always been drawn to apocalyptic tales, we now have more ways using mod‐ ern special effects of telling those tales in compelling ways.

"That's part of it, just us‐ ing new technology to tap in‐ to a very old desire," he said.

Coincidentally, new tech‐ nology is also feeding our fears.

"I think also the world is changing pretty quickly, espe‐ cially with AI, and there's questions about, is AI going to destroy the world or change the world into a sort of world that we don't recog‐ nize anymore."

Scrivner, who is currently co-managing a travelling vari‐ ety show called The Apoca‐ lypse Road Show in the U.S., says he personally finds it in‐ teresting to explore possible dangerous futures and see how people handle them.

"You get the suspense and the thrills, but you also get what feels like insight into situations that might happen that haven't happened yet," he said.

Scrivner's research sug‐ gests consuming such seemingly bleak material could actually be helping people.

In a 2021 study, he found people who had watched more apocalyptic and pan‐ demic-themed movies felt more prepared for the COV‐ ID-19 pandemic and were more psychologically resilient during pandemic-related shutdowns.

"I think it can help people kind of feel like they're pre‐ pared or at least feel like they can handle the uncertainty a bit better," he said.

WATCH | Jay Baruchel takes a long look at the end of the world and our fascination with it:

Apocalyptic narratives can shape our future

But our apocalypse obses‐ sion may not always be healthy.

Studiesshow millennials and gen-Zers see a bleak fu‐ ture in many respects at a time when the climate is warming, life expectancy is down, costs of food and oth‐ er essentials are rising, and home ownership is out of reach for many.

Technology and culture writer Zara Stone has sug‐ gested apocalyptic program‐ ming caters to a hopeless feeling among young viewers by telling them that this is the norm, and "allowing them to think the lack of a fu‐ ture is acceptable."

Begley similarly cautions that these dystopian visions of the future can affect us af‐ ter our screen time.

The way our future is por‐ trayed in the media we con‐ sume influences the way we all think about our own fu‐ ture, he says, and to some degree, that sets the parame‐ ters for what is possible in the real world.

"I think it's important for us to consciously think about the world we envision. For in‐ stance, is it one where your relationship with other peo‐ ple is one of caution and vio‐ lence, or is it one where it's community and support?" he said.

WATCH | Why some mil‐ lennials feel like it's getting harder to get ahead:

'There are still things that we can all do'

Baruchel says his inter‐ views with scientists and oth‐ er experts for We're All Gonna Die - which takes an educational approach fusing science, psychology, pop cul‐ ture and philosophy - have actually made him a more optimistic person.

From his perspective, naming and understanding potential threats can give us a place to understand, pro‐ cess and plan from, in case we ever do encounter these scenarios in real life.

"The through line to every person that I interviewed on that show was that, as insur‐ mountable as any of this feels, there is a piece for each of us to carry," Baruchel said. "And that you don't have to throw your hands up and resign yourself there. There is a fight that we're all participating in, still. There are still things that we can all do. And it's nice to be re‐ minded."