The Opposite Of Doom Scrolling
I don't know if there's a word for the opposite of doom scrolling (on Facebook/Instagram/TikTok.) Lately, the term "wonder clicking" popped into my head.
Maybe someone has already coined a different (or better) term for it, but it's essentially a different way of moving through the web.
Instead of getting pulled through the endless scroll of rage bait, AI-slop, and ads that is the algorithmically-driven social media feed, it's clicking into things because you're curious, not because something was placed in front of you. It's slower and more intentional.
It reminds me a bit of how the internet used to be (and still is outside of the social media silos.)
I've really enjoyed wandering from one thing to another on the indie web. I love finding unexpected things. I love to follow a thread just because it's interesting and piques my curiosity. It's less optimized, but more human.
Here are a few places I keep coming back to:
Bear Blog Discover Page - a simple chronological feed. You never really know what you'll find, which is what makes it interesting.
Bubbles - a bit more curated but still feels like browsing instead of scrolling.
Cloudhiker - completely random sites. You never know what you'll get but what I've been shown so far has piqued my curiosity.
Ye Old Blog Roll - more human-curated blogs in a feed, no algorithm.
The Stumblizer - click a button and go somewhere unexpected.
Explore Websites by Marginalia Search - a rotating set of small, non-commercial websites.
Browse Neocities or Nekoweb - lots of "old web" energy, but also some genuinely interesting, personal websites.
I don't know if "wonder clicking" is the right term for it, but it's the closest thing I've found to that feeling of stumbling into something interesting just by following where your curiosity goes.