Why a random button feels so much better than a feed
A short note on the psychology of one button vs. an infinite scroll, and why one of them respects you more.
An infinite feed and a random button are, on paper, similar things: both serve you content you didn't ask for specifically. But the experience of using them is wildly different.
A feed is something that happens to you. You open it, and it starts filling up the screen. The default is to keep scrolling. There's no natural stopping point, the next item is always there, and the next, and the next. You leave when you finally notice you should leave.
A random button is something you press. Each click is a single, deliberate action. The default is to do nothing. The natural stopping point is "I'm done now." There's no streak, no algorithmic guilt for closing the tab, no notification because you didn't open it for a while.
The difference is whose hand is on the wheel. A feed assumes it should be driving. A random button assumes you should be. They're both ways of finding new things on the internet, but only one of them treats you like an adult.
That's the whole reason this site is built around a button instead of a feed.