"Show more" vs. "See more"

Question

Which is considered more appropriate for a button, loading more items on a webpage? "Show more" ("Load more") sounds like a command to the system, but "See more" ("View more") is an actual action a user is going to perform. Obviously, both of them are understandable, as they are frequently used on websites. But which of them is more appropriate from the user experience perspective?

Answer 1

For any kind of writing or presentation, unless you want to confuse the readers, always use a consistent point of view.

Even if it doesn't confuse them, and they don't even realize what's happening, they will feel slightly uncomfortable and the writing will seem awkward. This is almost never how you want people to feel when they read your work.

Here's an extract from something I wrote 10 years ago:

According to author James Alan Gardner, "viewpoint is essential in winning the reader's confidence". He is talking about writing fiction here, but the principle is just as important for essays, textbooks, web pages, or other works of non-fiction. Writing that doesn't present a consistent point of view can be very disconcerting and confusing for the reader, even when, or perhaps especially when, the reader doesn't realize what the problem is.

…

Many web site home pages use a very direct and impersonal third-person presentation of information:

• XYZ Corporation manufactures widgets for the high-tech restaurateur.
• XYZ has branches in 42 countries and employs over 15,000 people.

and of links to other pages:

• XYZ Catalog and price list.
• XYZ Employment opportunities.

Other sites have home pages with a more friendly first-person presentation:

• At XYZ Corporation, we manufacture widgets for the high-tech restaurateur.
• We are more than 15,000 people working in 42 countries around the world.
• We have an extensive catalog and affordable price list.
• We offer excellent employment opportunities.

Others have a more personal first-person presentation that conversationally involves the second person:

• XYZ Corporation manufactures widgets for high-tech restaurateurs like you.
• Did you know that XYZ employs over 15,000 people worldwide?
• You can visit XYZ at branches in 42 countries.
• You can look at the XYZ catalog and price list here.
• If you'd like to work with us, go here.

And still others reverse the relationship by presenting an even more personal second-person viewpoint, pretending to actually be the second person and making you first-person:

• Show me your catalog and price list.
• I'm considering working for XYZ.

Depending upon its intended use, one viewpoint may be more appropriate than any other; there is no point of view that is always right or wrong.

What is important though, is sticking with the chosen viewpoint. Ideally, all pages at the same sibling level will present the same point of view. And, unless a section is clearly marked as different, certainly within any one page a consistent point of view must be maintained.

— Style: Maintain a consistent point of view

And do read Jim's much longer article: A Seminar on Writing Prose

Answer 2

"Show more" and "See more" both assume the user is sighted. "Load more" sounds like a system command, but it isn't so "system-ese" that an average user would find it off-putting. It's used by top ecommerce sites and recommended by Nielsen-Norman Group.