feeds vs. recommendations

There is a subtle difference between consuming a continuous feed of media content and discretely browsing through recommendation after recommendation. 

Think of Facebook feeds vs. Youtube recommendations. Both are algorithmically curated, devilishly optimised and extremely addictive. 

But their addictivenesses are for entirely different reasons! Facebook is addictive in the sense that TV is addictive. Youtube, on the other hand, is addictive due to an elation that is similar to the one induced by gamblers' illusion of control.

That is also why Youtube attracts a younger and "smarter" crowd consisting of people who place a greater value on controlling their destinies.