Don't click this button – testing the internet's patience
This weekend I was looking for a side project to play around with Go so I built a simple web experiment to test the self control of the internet: it has a single button, a live click counter, and a timer. I want to see how long the internet can collectively resist clicking it. The backend is a very simple Go binary with Go's std http server, web sockets, a WAL-style log of clicks, plain CSS and Comic Sans. Inspired by Silicon Valley's (HBO series) Bro app, OneMillionCheckBoxes and Cookie Clicker
Don't click this button – testing the internet's patience launched on March 23, 2025 with 12 votes, #2,041 of 7,215 launches that month and more than 75% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 1 year on.
In plain words
Don't Click This Button is a web experiment that tests internet users' collective self-control with a single button, live click counter, and timer. Built with Go using standard HTTP and WebSocket technology, it tracks clicks through a write-ahead log. The interface features plain CSS and Comic Sans styling. The project was created as a side project to explore Go development and draws inspiration from similar interactive experiments like Cookie Clicker and OneMillionCheckBoxes, asking how long participants can resist clicking.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
Choose your available time, energy, and location, then press one button for a finite useful action.
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