A method for selecting multiple content items in a list of content items is presented. In an embodiment, the method first displays a list of content items along the first direction on a display of the computing device. Then, the method detects a first portion of gesture for selecting a first content item in the list of content items. While the first content item is selected, the method detects a trigger for a second portion of the gesture, and then selects at least one second content item based on the second portion of the gesture. The trigger for the second portion of the gesture is a scroll gesture, and while the first content item is selected the scrolling of the list is disabled. A method for manipulating multiple content items in a list of content items is also presented.