Another reason is that we design websites for mobile users primarily, which requires more spacing due to touch input. And it's easy to just leave it in there fo

Another reason is that we design websites for mobile users primarily, which requires more spacing due to touch input. And it's easy to just leave it in there for the desktop as well. It's also often more visually pleasing at first glance, even though it's less functional. I got to say that HN does not provide a nice mobile experience in my opinion. I've clicked the wrong link many times due to lack of white space. However I agree that a lot of sites add way too much spacing between everything.