A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having instructions encoded thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
- receive, at an online system, a request to present a content feed to a user of the online system, wherein the content feed is scrollable vertically;
- generate the content feed, the content feed including a plurality of content items that comprises a user generated content item and a scrollable content unit that comprises:
- an ordered set of the plurality of content items;
- and
- a display area that displays a first subset of the ordered set of content items;
- wherein the scrollable content unit is independently and horizontally scrollable within the content feed at the display area such that the display area displays a different subset of the ordered set of content items;
- present the generated content feed to the user, wherein the generated content feed comprises a single column including at least one of the plurality of content items and the scrollable content unit vertically arranged within the single column;
- receive one or more user interactions of the user with the content feed to independently scroll the scrollable content unit horizontally;
- responsive to receiving the one or more user interactions, update the displayed subset of the ordered set of content items from the first subset of the ordered set of content items to a second subset of the ordered set of content items that includes at least one different content item than the first subset of the ordered set of content items;
- receive an additional request to present an updated content feed to the user of the online system;
- responsive to receiving the additional request to present the updated content feed to the user of the online system, modify the ordered set of content items of the scrollable content unit based at least in part on the first and second subsets of the ordered set of content items having been presented to the user, the modifying resulting in display of a third subset of the ordered set of content items in the display area that includes at least one content item not included in the first subset of the ordered set of content items, nor in the second subset of the ordered set of content items;
- generate the updated content feed including the scrollable content unit comprising the third subset of the ordered set of content items displayed in the display area;
- and
- present the updated content feed including the scrollable content unit displaying the third subset of the ordered set of content items to the user.