It seems every time I log onto Twitter or Facebook I see some nonsense article such as “Seven signs you’re in a perfect relationship” or “13 potatoes that look like Channing Tatum.”
Sites such as Buzzfeed and EliteDaily almost entirely exist to publish these lists.
When they first started becoming popular several years ago, I found them entertaining.
Some were clever, and it was a new, fun way of presenting and consuming information.
It was a nice change of pace from the traditional online articles.
The brief period of time when these lists were witty and exciting has passed.
Lists have been ?exhausted.
There’s a limited number of ways you can present “11 times Disney was right about your love life” and still be considered quality content.
These lists still remain popular in the college crowd.
Almost every day in class I see someone reading one on their Mac, sipping from a Starbucks cup.
The majority of the content is underwhelming and overused.
So the question of why these lists are still popular remains.
Mainly, they’re still here for two reasons.
They’re easy to read while multitasking.
You can take notes in class and still skim through a list.
If you want a break from your homework you can breeze through a list and not lose focus on what you were doing beforehand.
Second, the lists do not actually contain much content in general.
In a society where we want updates by the minute, lists are easy.
You don’t even have to think when you read them.
You don’t have to devote any time to reading them.
They’re quick and appealing.
Everyone has experienced the annoying process of clicking on a link and having to suffer through some ridiculous advertisement-filled slideshow, not to mention it’s next to impossible to find the actual arrow to click on and not some disguised advertisement link.
When lists first started they were short and to the point.
They rarely had more than 10 bullet points.
Now, lists are rarely shorter than 15 points and can even reach 30 or more.
Are are there really 30 points you can say about how “Breaking Bad” reminds you of “Blues Clues”?
Lists have turned into simple click-bait for websites to publish to drive traffic to their website and make a quick buck or $120 million on ad revenue.
Buzzfeed has actually created enough traffic that it’s considered a “top news site ” that doesn’t publish much quality news content at all.
It’s time to stop clicking on these lists and allowing them to pollute social media.
Limit the lists and bring back real articles.
luburch@indiana.edu
