Opened links in new tab or background?

What is happening when you try each option?

Play_er wrote:

Pretty much the same thing but what’s the difference

"Pretty much the same thing" isn't the same as "the same thing". But if you can't tell the difference, does it matter?

I suspect that opening links in the background is more relevant if you're not using tabs. If the link is opening in a new window, it can either be front-most, taking focus from where you are, or it can be in the background, where you don't see it until you explicitly navigate to it.