I guess, thinking whether anything happened depends on one's level of perception, and one's definition of what it means for something to "happen". (That is, whether you are looking only at the final result of a process, or at everything that happens during the process, irrespective of the final outcome).

If my Internet-newbie father clicked that button repeatedly, I'm sure he would think that "nothing is happening", and at his level of perception, that statement would be correct.

EDIT: Elaboration.