I would say the difference is that as an aggregator, HN isn't crafting the content it displays here. I think the key is that making viral content is not somethi

I would say the difference is that as an aggregator, HN isn't crafting the content it displays here. I think the key is that making viral content is not something that scales and the content creators at BuzzFeed resort to using patterns, e.g. "North Koreans try American BBQ", "Mainland Chinese people try Panda Express", and dozens of other things. It doesn't help that they use clickbait thumbnails and article title tricks. Sure, content here on HN can be it or miss but I think the diversity of the content is what saves it from the "Intrigue/Disappointment" loop that I suggested for BuzzFeed. As a personal anecdote, my Gen-Z sister used to be glued to the screen with almost all of her tabs on BuzzFeed or BuzzFeed Video. She eventually grew bored of it and now spends her time on TikTok. She told me she felt like BuzzFeed started feeling too formulaic and familiar while TikTok is vastly more engaging / authentic. My personal hunch is that TikTok offers much more variety.