Lost in the world of endless scrolling

Can you help me? I seem to be lost. I was surfing the Internet for funny cat videos and I stumbled onto this "web page." Or, at least, I thought it was a page. Now, I’m not so sure. I’ve been scrolling for a while now, but I can’t seem to find a way out. Every time I think I’ve reached the end, I find myself in yet another "page." Yet I have no recollection of clicking a link or taking any direct action. It just sort of…happened.

I think I remember where I started from. There was this link to a story about kittens. Or maybe it was baby tiger cubs. I’m not too sure anymore. In fact, my memory of just where I’ve been or even how I got to this point is a little fuzzy.

How long have I been like this? An hour? A day? Time seems to have stopped, though the fading sunlight through my window tells me it’s been a quite a while. And now I have this nagging feeling that something really is wrong. That it shouldn’t be taking this long just to finish one web page.

Could I be in actual danger? But from what, exactly? The only visible "threat" is that annoying pop-over auto play video that keeps following me down the page. The talking head inside the little box seems innocuous enough. But what if he isn’t? What if he’s trying to suck me deeper into…whatever this place is?

I’ve tried to get rid of him, but the faster I scroll, the further down the page he jumps. And there doesn’t seem to be any button or control to close him, either. Weird.

Or maybe more than weird. I seem to recall reading something about a phenomenon dubbed "infinite scrolling," and that some congressperson in the U.S. was trying to block its use by web developers and media companies. Or something like that. I don’t remember all the details. Again, I’ve been at this for a while now and my head is a bit fuzzy.

To be honest, this experience hasn’t been all bad. I remember an article 4 pages back -- or maybe it was 5 -- talking about chia sprout farming, and how one person got rich by converting their patio into a makeshift plant nursery. And I really did see some cute kittens, though it’s been so long since I passed that article that I can’t remember if they were fluffy or shorthaired.

In fact, I’m starting to forget a lot of things. Was there something I was supposed to do today? Maybe pick someone or something up from somewhere? I’d hate to think I left a friend or relative waiting out in the rain or cold.

I should really check my messages. Yeah, I’m going to do that soon -- once I remember where I left my phone. But first, I’ve got to find and answer to the riddle of this page. Why does it never end? And why do I feel so compelled to keep scrolling and scrolling?

Maybe the answers to all my questions are further down the page. We’ll see.

Photo Credit: EM Karuna/Shutterstock