Is there a term for browsing the web and ending up very far from the original article? [on hold]












4















Whenever I read an article on the web, I either click on the links in the article or search for more information about the topic, ending up very far from the original article. Is there a term for this act of jumping through links?






single-word-requests phrase-requests idiom-requests







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put on hold as off-topic by tchrist♦ 2 days ago


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Questions on choosing an ideal word or phrase must include information on how it will be used in order to be answered. For help writing a good word or phrase request, see: About single word requests" – tchrist

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.














  • Welcome to English Language and Usage,Arunster...words are used differently in different situations. Decades ago the very word "browse" had a somewhat negative flavor as to doing research. One might start with a specific source in a library, only to discover seemingly related material nearby and if the temptation was not avoided, one could be far off topic in quick order. I still think of "browsing the web" as a great risk to serious research.

    – J. Taylor
    2 days ago











  • Possible duplicate of Site hopping, non-related subjects, wasting time on the internet

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 days ago











  • And also What is it called when you search for something on the internet and end up looking for other and it goes in endless meander?

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 days ago
















4















Whenever I read an article on the web, I either click on the links in the article or search for more information about the topic, ending up very far from the original article. Is there a term for this act of jumping through links?






single-word-requests phrase-requests idiom-requests







share|improve this question









New contributor




Arunster is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











put on hold as off-topic by tchrist♦ 2 days ago


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Questions on choosing an ideal word or phrase must include information on how it will be used in order to be answered. For help writing a good word or phrase request, see: About single word requests" – tchrist

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.














  • Welcome to English Language and Usage,Arunster...words are used differently in different situations. Decades ago the very word "browse" had a somewhat negative flavor as to doing research. One might start with a specific source in a library, only to discover seemingly related material nearby and if the temptation was not avoided, one could be far off topic in quick order. I still think of "browsing the web" as a great risk to serious research.

    – J. Taylor
    2 days ago











  • Possible duplicate of Site hopping, non-related subjects, wasting time on the internet

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 days ago











  • And also What is it called when you search for something on the internet and end up looking for other and it goes in endless meander?

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 days ago














4












4








4


1






Whenever I read an article on the web, I either click on the links in the article or search for more information about the topic, ending up very far from the original article. Is there a term for this act of jumping through links?






single-word-requests phrase-requests idiom-requests







share|improve this question









New contributor




Arunster is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.












Whenever I read an article on the web, I either click on the links in the article or search for more information about the topic, ending up very far from the original article. Is there a term for this act of jumping through links?






single-word-requests phrase-requests idiom-requests




single-word-requests phrase-requests idiom-requests






share|improve this question









New contributor




Arunster is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question









New contributor




Arunster is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 2 days ago









tchrist♦

108k28290464




108k28290464






New contributor




Arunster is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









asked 2 days ago









ArunsterArunster

1212




1212




New contributor




Arunster is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





New contributor





Arunster is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






Arunster is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.




put on hold as off-topic by tchrist♦ 2 days ago


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Questions on choosing an ideal word or phrase must include information on how it will be used in order to be answered. For help writing a good word or phrase request, see: About single word requests" – tchrist

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.




put on hold as off-topic by tchrist♦ 2 days ago


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Questions on choosing an ideal word or phrase must include information on how it will be used in order to be answered. For help writing a good word or phrase request, see: About single word requests" – tchrist

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.













  • Welcome to English Language and Usage,Arunster...words are used differently in different situations. Decades ago the very word "browse" had a somewhat negative flavor as to doing research. One might start with a specific source in a library, only to discover seemingly related material nearby and if the temptation was not avoided, one could be far off topic in quick order. I still think of "browsing the web" as a great risk to serious research.

    – J. Taylor
    2 days ago











  • Possible duplicate of Site hopping, non-related subjects, wasting time on the internet

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 days ago











  • And also What is it called when you search for something on the internet and end up looking for other and it goes in endless meander?

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 days ago



















  • Welcome to English Language and Usage,Arunster...words are used differently in different situations. Decades ago the very word "browse" had a somewhat negative flavor as to doing research. One might start with a specific source in a library, only to discover seemingly related material nearby and if the temptation was not avoided, one could be far off topic in quick order. I still think of "browsing the web" as a great risk to serious research.

    – J. Taylor
    2 days ago











  • Possible duplicate of Site hopping, non-related subjects, wasting time on the internet

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 days ago











  • And also What is it called when you search for something on the internet and end up looking for other and it goes in endless meander?

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 days ago

















Welcome to English Language and Usage,Arunster...words are used differently in different situations. Decades ago the very word "browse" had a somewhat negative flavor as to doing research. One might start with a specific source in a library, only to discover seemingly related material nearby and if the temptation was not avoided, one could be far off topic in quick order. I still think of "browsing the web" as a great risk to serious research.

– J. Taylor
2 days ago





Welcome to English Language and Usage,Arunster...words are used differently in different situations. Decades ago the very word "browse" had a somewhat negative flavor as to doing research. One might start with a specific source in a library, only to discover seemingly related material nearby and if the temptation was not avoided, one could be far off topic in quick order. I still think of "browsing the web" as a great risk to serious research.

– J. Taylor
2 days ago













Possible duplicate of Site hopping, non-related subjects, wasting time on the internet

– Mari-Lou A
2 days ago





Possible duplicate of Site hopping, non-related subjects, wasting time on the internet

– Mari-Lou A
2 days ago













And also What is it called when you search for something on the internet and end up looking for other and it goes in endless meander?

– Mari-Lou A
2 days ago





And also What is it called when you search for something on the internet and end up looking for other and it goes in endless meander?

– Mari-Lou A
2 days ago










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















4














(This habit is known as Mindless browsing.



There is even a word for it:)



wilfing



The theory is that, even though we might go online with a specific purpose in mind, the potential choices and distractions are so many and varied that they cause us to lose track of what we were looking for. Shopping, travel and news websites are allegedly among the most likely to cause people to wilf.



https://www.macmillandictionary.com/buzzword/entries/wilfing.html






share|improve this answer



















  • 1





    Short for: What was I looking for (Wwilf) urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wwilf

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 days ago



















3














I think you can use the expression



Surf the inter/net




to spend time visiting a lot of websites:




  • He spends a lot of time surfing the internet/Net/Web.




(Cambridge Dictionary)






share|improve this answer
























  • Surf the inter? I've heard "surf the net" but not the former. It's not the right answer anyway. If I want, I can surf on the web for two hours, absolutely focused, on one topic. The OP is talking about getting distracted and going down rabbit holes

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 days ago











  • @Mari-LouA - the OP is not clear about it. They cite both more research on the original topic and other unrelated stuff...in any case they surf..

    – user240918
    2 days ago




















2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes








2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









4














(This habit is known as Mindless browsing.



There is even a word for it:)



wilfing



The theory is that, even though we might go online with a specific purpose in mind, the potential choices and distractions are so many and varied that they cause us to lose track of what we were looking for. Shopping, travel and news websites are allegedly among the most likely to cause people to wilf.



https://www.macmillandictionary.com/buzzword/entries/wilfing.html






share|improve this answer



















  • 1





    Short for: What was I looking for (Wwilf) urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wwilf

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 days ago
















4














(This habit is known as Mindless browsing.



There is even a word for it:)



wilfing



The theory is that, even though we might go online with a specific purpose in mind, the potential choices and distractions are so many and varied that they cause us to lose track of what we were looking for. Shopping, travel and news websites are allegedly among the most likely to cause people to wilf.



https://www.macmillandictionary.com/buzzword/entries/wilfing.html






share|improve this answer



















  • 1





    Short for: What was I looking for (Wwilf) urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wwilf

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 days ago














4












4








4







(This habit is known as Mindless browsing.



There is even a word for it:)



wilfing



The theory is that, even though we might go online with a specific purpose in mind, the potential choices and distractions are so many and varied that they cause us to lose track of what we were looking for. Shopping, travel and news websites are allegedly among the most likely to cause people to wilf.



https://www.macmillandictionary.com/buzzword/entries/wilfing.html






share|improve this answer













(This habit is known as Mindless browsing.



There is even a word for it:)



wilfing



The theory is that, even though we might go online with a specific purpose in mind, the potential choices and distractions are so many and varied that they cause us to lose track of what we were looking for. Shopping, travel and news websites are allegedly among the most likely to cause people to wilf.



https://www.macmillandictionary.com/buzzword/entries/wilfing.html







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered 2 days ago









Sumit KumarSumit Kumar

1217




1217








  • 1





    Short for: What was I looking for (Wwilf) urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wwilf

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 days ago














  • 1





    Short for: What was I looking for (Wwilf) urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wwilf

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 days ago








1




1





Short for: What was I looking for (Wwilf) urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wwilf

– Mari-Lou A
2 days ago





Short for: What was I looking for (Wwilf) urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wwilf

– Mari-Lou A
2 days ago













3














I think you can use the expression



Surf the inter/net




to spend time visiting a lot of websites:




  • He spends a lot of time surfing the internet/Net/Web.




(Cambridge Dictionary)






share|improve this answer
























  • Surf the inter? I've heard "surf the net" but not the former. It's not the right answer anyway. If I want, I can surf on the web for two hours, absolutely focused, on one topic. The OP is talking about getting distracted and going down rabbit holes

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 days ago











  • @Mari-LouA - the OP is not clear about it. They cite both more research on the original topic and other unrelated stuff...in any case they surf..

    – user240918
    2 days ago


















3














I think you can use the expression



Surf the inter/net




to spend time visiting a lot of websites:




  • He spends a lot of time surfing the internet/Net/Web.




(Cambridge Dictionary)






share|improve this answer
























  • Surf the inter? I've heard "surf the net" but not the former. It's not the right answer anyway. If I want, I can surf on the web for two hours, absolutely focused, on one topic. The OP is talking about getting distracted and going down rabbit holes

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 days ago











  • @Mari-LouA - the OP is not clear about it. They cite both more research on the original topic and other unrelated stuff...in any case they surf..

    – user240918
    2 days ago
















3












3








3







I think you can use the expression



Surf the inter/net




to spend time visiting a lot of websites:




  • He spends a lot of time surfing the internet/Net/Web.




(Cambridge Dictionary)






share|improve this answer













I think you can use the expression



Surf the inter/net




to spend time visiting a lot of websites:




  • He spends a lot of time surfing the internet/Net/Web.




(Cambridge Dictionary)







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered 2 days ago









user240918user240918

25.3k1070149




25.3k1070149













  • Surf the inter? I've heard "surf the net" but not the former. It's not the right answer anyway. If I want, I can surf on the web for two hours, absolutely focused, on one topic. The OP is talking about getting distracted and going down rabbit holes

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 days ago











  • @Mari-LouA - the OP is not clear about it. They cite both more research on the original topic and other unrelated stuff...in any case they surf..

    – user240918
    2 days ago





















  • Surf the inter? I've heard "surf the net" but not the former. It's not the right answer anyway. If I want, I can surf on the web for two hours, absolutely focused, on one topic. The OP is talking about getting distracted and going down rabbit holes

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 days ago











  • @Mari-LouA - the OP is not clear about it. They cite both more research on the original topic and other unrelated stuff...in any case they surf..

    – user240918
    2 days ago



















Surf the inter? I've heard "surf the net" but not the former. It's not the right answer anyway. If I want, I can surf on the web for two hours, absolutely focused, on one topic. The OP is talking about getting distracted and going down rabbit holes

– Mari-Lou A
2 days ago





Surf the inter? I've heard "surf the net" but not the former. It's not the right answer anyway. If I want, I can surf on the web for two hours, absolutely focused, on one topic. The OP is talking about getting distracted and going down rabbit holes

– Mari-Lou A
2 days ago













@Mari-LouA - the OP is not clear about it. They cite both more research on the original topic and other unrelated stuff...in any case they surf..

– user240918
2 days ago







@Mari-LouA - the OP is not clear about it. They cite both more research on the original topic and other unrelated stuff...in any case they surf..

– user240918
2 days ago





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