The Infinite Scroll and the Engineering of Compulsion
Continuous feeds remove natural stopping points and can encourage prolonged use.
The Mechanism: Infinite scroll loads more content as a user moves through a feed, removing pagination and some explicit stopping cues. Its effects vary by person and context, but it can support extended use.
The Philosophical Pivot: A finite day is spent inside an interface that presents itself as endless. The design can make attention feel like a resource the user alone is responsible for controlling.
The Horizon: Design choices such as stopping cues, user controls, and transparent recommendations can make digital environments less coercive. The burden should not rest entirely on individual willpower.
Not every long session is compulsive, and infinite feeds can be useful. The ethical issue is whether engagement is chosen or engineered while the service profits from continuation.
Stopping is easier when the system admits that a person's time has a boundary.
An endless feed turns the absence of an ending into a design decision.
When do I want to stop, and what in the interface makes continuing easier than choosing to leave?