BRUSSELS — Doom scrolling is doomed, if the EU gets its way.
The European Commission is for the first time tackling the addictiveness of social media in a fight against TikTok that may set new design standards for the world’s most popular apps.
Reading this on Jerboa with infinite scrolling 😱
IIRC Dessalines (Lemmy and Jerboa frontend dev) once said to regret adding infinite scrolling, and the only reason he didn’t remove the feature is because people would rage. So odds are Jerboa will be one of the first to comply.
And… frankly? As much as I criticise Lemmy devs, I think Dessalines is right in this one.
I am so braindead I can’t even imagine how it would work without endless scrolling?
Pagination
A weird thing to flex on tbh but i do miss normal pagination. Getting back to your spot with infinite scroll sucks.
Doesn’t look like this extends beyond TikTok, or at least mainstream social media as a whole.
Infinite scroll itself isn’t really a problem. It’s just one of the many tools used to keep users engaged on these platforms specifically by removing an interruption from the experience, but isn’t sufficient on its own to create that unhealthy behavior. It’s also used in healthier ways, like search results, chat logs, and so on.
The EU attempting to rein in these platforms’ control over its users will be interesting to watch. There are decades of research these companies have done on user psychology to maximize their capture of the user’s attention. Forcing them not to use all the tools they developed might result in people breaking out of the cycle of endlessly scrolling. Or it might just annoy users. I don’t know which will happen.
I don’t don’t think this is useful at all, if it only results in a next button occasionally popping up.
It provides a natural stopping point, which as another user explained requires a conscious effort to continue rather than infinite scrolling which requires a conscious effort to stop.
It doesn’t sound like much, but it can be those little things that make the difference. A little bit less on one side of the scale, and a little bit more on another.
I know I find myself scrolling for way longer than I intended, and when I look back and realize how much I scrolled it always seems to surprise me. Sometimes I tell myself I’m about to stop, but I just keep going. I see another headline at the bottom of the screen and have to click on it. After that I see another one below it, etc. Sometimes I have to scroll so the screen ends on one post, and I won’t let it show the one below it, cause otherwise I might never stop.
People whose minds are already wired for addiction can struggle with this. Just like with beer. “One felt good, so twelve must feel twelve times as good.” It’s a subconscious process, but it can feel like a vortex and be really hard to escape.
Pagination would take away that “mindless” aspect, and for instance I could see when I reach page 10 or whatever and decide that’s far enough. Or I could hop on and just scroll one page. Or I could scroll a few pages and then say “Okay at the bottom of this page I’m stopping.” It’s much easier that way for people who struggle with it.
@wonderingwanderer @Sina yes, I liked things more when pagination was the default, for the same reason. I turn pagination back on where it’s an option and use mods to re introduce where it is not. Portion control is very important for enjoying all things. I love ice cream but I would be very ill with an infinitely refilling bowl. A set amount suits me much better.
You totally nailed it! This is a great and thoughtful comment, and I appreciate the effort you put into it to help educate others. :)
Infinite scrolling stays my least favorite interface trend. What’s wrong with the pages? I’m very glad it would be changed.
I have chronic pain and want to limit clicking “Next” all the time
I’m sorry it’s painful for you! Then would be great to have an option to choose between scrolling and page views.
Of course such measures are much simpler than fixing the current education system, which is the root cause of lack of critical thinking and self-control.
The EU does not oversee education, it’s usually a member state or even lower level responsibility.
such measures are much simpler than fixing the current education system
it’s harm reduction while we also work to build a tolerance to the drug … through learning and reasoning.
Highly educated people can be addicted to gambling tactics too
Yes, it could be better. But its also parents who need to get their shit together. I know so many who park their kids in front of tablet, phone or pc - not for a breather or a short distraction, but as the standard way to entertain kids.
Because they fear that the kids might be bored. But boredom is good, it gets creative juices flowing. However, you have to be hard and tell nagging kids no, and that is hard
If kids have been inducted to immediately get a phone whenever they whine a bit, there is not much school can do.
That’s still a separate issue. Infinite scroll is scarcely ever used in a good way, and is almost always used to encourage addictive behavior; something which affects adults just as much as children. Even on the rare occasion that it isn’t being implemented as an engagement tool, it still often ends up being one anyway. It’s a dark pattern and little else.
As far as I’m concerned, banning infinite scroll could easily be a very good thing, and I’m in favor.
100%, Infinity scroll needs to go.
