The Attention Trap · Lesson 5/10
Infinite Scroll Removed the Ending
Why modern feeds are hard to stop: they never say, “You are done.”
Older media had endings.
A newspaper ended.
A magazine ended.
A TV episode had credits.
A book had chapters.
Even old websites had pages.
But many modern apps removed the ending.
There is always another post.
Another short video.
Another comment.
Another recommendation.
Another refresh.
The app never says:
“You are done.”
So stopping becomes your job.
That sounds small, but it changes everything.
Continuing takes almost no effort. One swipe. One tap. One more video.
Stopping requires awareness.
You have to notice the time.
Remember your intention.
Decide to leave.
Resist the next thing.
That is much harder than simply continuing.
Infinite scroll does not force you to stay.
But it removes the natural moment where you would have stopped.
Self-check
When you scroll, ask:
Where is the ending?
Next lesson
Autoplay Removes the Next Decision
Why the next video often starts before you have chosen it.