The EU Moves To Kill Infinite Scrolling 37
Doom scrolling is doomed, if the EU gets its way. From a report: 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. Brussels has told the company to change several key features, including disabling infinite scrolling, setting strict screen time breaks and changing its recommender systems. The demand follows the Commission's declaration that TikTok's design is addictive to users -- especially children.
The fact that the Commission said TikTok should change the basic design of its service is "ground-breaking for the business model fueled by surveillance and advertising," said Katarzyna Szymielewicz, president of the Panoptykon Foundation, a Polish civil society group. That doesn't bode well for other platforms, particularly Meta's Facebook and Instagram. The two social media giants are also under investigation over the addictiveness of their design.
The fact that the Commission said TikTok should change the basic design of its service is "ground-breaking for the business model fueled by surveillance and advertising," said Katarzyna Szymielewicz, president of the Panoptykon Foundation, a Polish civil society group. That doesn't bode well for other platforms, particularly Meta's Facebook and Instagram. The two social media giants are also under investigation over the addictiveness of their design.
"TikTok" (Score:3)
Yes, "TikTok" (the application not controlled in the USA) is the problem, but not anything from Google/Alphabet (YouTube), or Meta (Facebook/Instagram/Threads), or "X" (Twitter), or the multitude of other platforms all with USA centric interests.
Yes, I realize other platforms are listed way WAY down in the article, but seriously, count the number of times TikTok is referenced compared to any other platform.
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TikTok = 17
Facebook = 2
Instagram = 2
X = 1
Twitter = 0
Re: "TikTok" (Score:2)
Exactly this
Europe is going to slowly kick America out (Score:5, Interesting)
So for example they have banned young people from social media. That isn't to protect kids, nobody gives a shit about kids even in Europe. That is to do a roundabout way to gradually wean their population off of american-owned social media.
Killing infinite scrolling is part of that too since it does quite a bit of damage to social media.
You can't just outright ban it their laws aren't set up to do that and it would be too obvious and the billionaires would step in and stop it. So they're going to do it slowly and gradually. Like cutting out an infection that is spread really far.
Re: Europe is going to slowly kick America out (Score:3)
Citation indeed -- the EU hasn't banned anything.
Several countries are looking to, and _maybe_ it might be done at the EU level, which would have all countries doing it the same way. We'll see. For now, though, nothing appears to be planned.
https://www.rte.ie/news/europe... [www.rte.ie]
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Europe watched Russia basically install a foreign asset as the head of state in America using Facebook and Twitter. They are not going to let that happen to themselves.
Better, Europe watched Russia nearly install a foreign asset at the head of Romania using TikTok. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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I am a victim of infinite scrolling. (Score:2, Insightful)
I'm all for sensible regulation, but this strikes me as similar to trying to combat drug addition by banning medicine bottles.
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Re:I am a victim of infinite scrolling. (Score:4, Insightful)
The point to disable infinite scrolling is more nuanced, though. The right implementation is correct pagination, that allows you to start reading where you left off. The whole reverse-chronological timelines are a feature to bind your time.
With current systems, you start with recent posts and scroll down in the hope to find where you left off. You have no idea how many posts are in between, and you probably read new to old while scrolling back.
With the systems demanded, you have a permalink to your reading position, and continue reading forward (more useful and natural), have a page number how many pages you have to catch up (if you want to read all) and no FOMO about gaps you cannot bridge because you can only scroll back a certain number of posts.
You have little time the next two days and a whole day off after? Just catch up with the news on the third day, no need to try to catch up every evening to not miss out on something.
I'm all for that but not for the reason you think (Score:5, Interesting)
Infinite scrolling == infinite memory usage.
Whenever I go to some forum that's heavy on pictures and videos that has infinite scrolling, and I'm looking far down the page for something or other, eventually my browser slows to a crawl, or the browser's resource-hungry JS engine crashes, and that's the end of the scrolling.
Certain sites I patronize that have the stupid infinite scrolling also have the classic &page= HTTP GET mechanism. On those sites, every once in a while, I reload the entire page with a &page= corresponding to roughly where I am in the infinite scrolling, just to reset it and free up some memory.
It's not the UI paradigm that bothers me, it's the resource usage insanity.
Re: I'm all for that but not for the reason you th (Score:3)
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I agree with you, but I still consider it be more of a UI problem. Infinite scrolling is the paradigm of choice for disposable content where anything more than 48 hours old is effectively unreachable.
Then again, many social media platforms can't seem to present content in chronological order to begin with. I don't have an account on X, and when I check out anyone's profile, I get a mash-up of different posts spanning several years and they're all out of order. What useless garbage. Why anyone uses socia
Re:I'm all for that but not for the reason you thi (Score:4, Informative)
It also breaks back button functionality. If you scroll down a long list, then click a link, then go back, chances are it won't scroll to where you were, but just the beginning. And then you'd have to scroll back down again reloading pages along the way.
Pagination is a good thing.
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Open the link in a new tab to avoid that problem.
But yes, you're right, it's yet another problem with infinite scrolling.
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On a desktop yes that makes sense, though many browsers do a reload if the tab becomes backgrounded so you lose your spot anyways. On a mobile device the behavior is more random - sometimes you will get your spot saved, other times it will still reset it. It's no longer a guarantee that you'll keep your spot opening a new tab.
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Infinite scrolling == infinite memory usage.
No. Poorly implemented infinite scrolling == infinite memory use. Many systems actually implement it correctly, either using DOM recycling, or tombstoning to unload elements when they are beyond a certain scroll range.
There are many reasons to hate infinite scrolling (the most critical being that you have no content anchor for navigation, and when you do navigate the browser tries to reach an element that doesn't exist and hasn't been served). But memory management is a trivial problem to resolve.
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The EU does not require cookie banners. They require privacy. Cookie banners are the attempt of websites to tell users "Please forfeit your privacy voluntary because we are not allowed to just take it". The problem is not the banner, but the users accepting them. We would not have them, if users would have said right from the start "Fuck off, I value the privacy the law gives me".
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Web pages were never meant to be programmed (Score:2)
Re: Web pages were never meant to be programmed (Score:2)
It's in the name..."pages"
The psychological hamster wheel (Score:3)
Infinite scrolling has been from the very start a way to trap a mind onto a virtual hamster wheel. You run and run thinking you are making progress, but all you have accomplished is a little exercise with your finger.
But devil's advocate here: isn't it artistic expression to trap the audience into a Sisyphean cycle. Does this not express the futility of our actions and even of our own cognition? Isn't it better that we do this virtually than if I were to invite a live audience to a theater that I then flood with many litres of molasses?
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But devil's advocate here: isn't it artistic expression to trap the audience into a Sisyphean cycle. Does this not express the futility of our actions and even of our own cognition? Isn't it better that we do this virtually than if I were to invite a live audience to a theater that I then flood with many litres of molasses?
At least the molasses can provide sustenance of a sort. The drivel fed to folks via infinite scrolling does nothing of the kind.
Re: The psychological hamster wheel (Score:1)
They're chasing engagement metrics - no page breaks equals no external trigger to escape the BS === the appearance of longer engagement === pats on the back / bonuses etc.
They seem to have forgotten the implicit assumption that it's conscious engagement of minds which haven't been destroyed by continuous insane nonsense - presumably the greedy shareholders are whipping them to death so the appearance of engagement is considered acceptable.
\o/ (Score:1)
...industry pivots to encourage doom-paging in 3, 2, 1
WTF?!?? This would be nonsense. (Score:2)
Disclaimer: European here.
I do like quite a few of those EU regulations. Many make sense and are anti trust and consumer/citizen friendly. How do you like the new USB ports on iPhones? You're welcome. EU GDPR? Good stuff. Toxic food additives banned? I sure do effing hope so. Etc.
However, this is one of those things that make no sense and is nothing other than micromanagement by the clueless. However I build my website is my business and my business alone (hidden cross domain tracking and similar dirty tric
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However I build my website is my business and my business alone (hidden cross domain tracking and similar dirty tricks excluded). If the user doesn't like infinite scrolling, they shouldn't use it.
Ignorant, or intentioanly ignorant? You are being told that no, it is not your business and your business alone. You are being told it is considered a public harm in an "attractive nuisance" kind of way where many people are not able to just not use it. Who are you shlling for?
whack a mole (Score:2)
having a hard time cheering.
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Europe's favorite food: whackamolé!
The addictiveness of social media is by design (Score:4)
* Feeds, likes, and notifications are delivered on unpredictable schedules, so you never know when you’ll see something exciting, which strongly reinforces checking “just one more time.” This is the same variable reinforcement pattern used in gambling machines.
* Each like, comment, or new video can trigger small dopamine releases in the brain’s reward system, creating a loop of craving, checking, and temporary relief that can become compulsive.
* Platforms tap into our deep drive for belonging, status, and approval; visible metrics (likes, followers, views) turn social validation into a constant score, which pushes people to return and post more.
* FOMO (fear of missing out). Design amplifies the feeling that something important is happening without you, making it uncomfortable to disconnect in case you miss news, trends, or social interactions.
Does this also apply to slashdot ? (Score:2)
Not sure how addictive it is. And there is a "Load more stories" button you have to click. But it scrolls infinitely.
Everything (Score:2)
Everything not prohibited is compulsory.