Eeny, meeny, miny, woe

The endless scroll that leaves you bewildered as you search for things to eat, watch or wear, isn't an accident. See why apps are built this way, and how they're benefiting, even when you don't buy

- Anesha George

How many hours have you collectively spent, trying to find something to watch amid the tiles of options on a streaming platform; something to eat on a food-delivery app; something to wear on an e-fashion store?

A seemingly mundane task that started out as joyful turns into an ordeal. It's the tyranny of too much choice (a champagne problem if ever there was one; but a problem nonetheless).

The endless scroll started out as the endless stroll. The surfeit of choices in earlyhyper-capitalist American supermarkets as far back as the 1970s sparked studies on how people choose, and struggle to choose, when their aisles are filled with only marginally different products. Did one go with the familiar detergent, or try something new? Opt for the milk with the best price of the best promise? The snack that was tastiest or healthiest?

But that was a different world, one of products that were trying (and sometimes İying) to stand out. They weren't actually aiming to keep you in the store. That last bit has changed.

The 2023 State of Play Report, released in August by analytics company Nielsen, states that because of the growing number of programme titles and streaming services the average viewer (across the US, UK, Canada, Mexico and Germany) spends more than 10 minutes per session just trying to decide what to watch.