7 Reasons Why Listicles Are Killing Modern Media
Start writing a post
Entertainment

7 Reasons Why Listicles Are Killing Modern Media

I'm looking at you, BuzzFeed

38
7 Reasons Why Listicles Are Killing Modern Media
BuzzFeed

I've noticed something going on in modern media. Instead of lengthy, well-written articles being the norm, a new format has been showing up: the listicle. The listicle, as one would expect, is an article that is formatted into a list, usually broken up by images and gifs throughout.

While listicles normally just show up in the realm of entertainment and humor writing and not "serious" journalism, they still have the mark of laziness. They're usually poorly researched on the entertainment side, and lazily use other people's images to make punchlines on the humor side.

The reason these articles have gotten so popular in modern media is that they're easy to write.

I normally put at least two hours into all of my articles. That's time for research, careful planning of how to construct the article, actually writing it, then proofreading afterward.

But today, I'm doing something different. To show how easy it is to write a listicle, I'll be writing this piece in 20 minutes. It's 11:45 a.m. now. You'll get another time update at the end.

Now, let's talk about the 7 reasons why listicles are killing modern media.

1. Because no one reads anything besides what I have in bold here, anyway.

Sure, I might have a paragraph here explaining the above header, but listicles are designed for skimming. I could say almost anything I want in this paragraph, and the amount of people that will read it will be far fewer than the people that read the header. That's just how it goes. How will you know if the writer is telling you the truth if you don't actually read the whole article?

2. Because the gifs and jpgs are hardly nuanced writing.

I don't care how "relevant" the image is. I don't care how much it's "you in real life." If your gif in your listicle of "10 Reasons Why Fall is the Best Season" is a scene from Doctor Who, that's just lazily using someone else's work to make your joke for you.

3. Because they're designed to get the most money out of you.

The worst kind of listicle is the slideshow, where each image is on a different page, and each time you advance to the next page, the entire page reloads to give you a new slew of advertisements. Not only are these pages slow as all hell to navigate, they're sort of unethical. If an article has been designed to squeeze the maximum amount of dollars out of your views, that means the "journalist" is in bed with the advertisers. And when that happens, that's not real journalism at all.

4. Because they require 0 advanced planning.

I'm literally making this up as I go. I shouldn't be able to do that.

5. Because real writing builds on itself.

I don't care if we're talking about The Onion or The New York Times, a story builds over time. There's a progression from the beginning to the end, just like a novel or a movie. You can't just skip around and get the same experience.

6. Because anyone can do it.

Not everyone can be as humorous as David Letterman, but anyone can certainly try.

7. Because they become super popular online, while serious writers doing good work lose out on the success.

This one is pretty self explanatory. But still, it must be awful to be a writer at an organization like Rolling Stone doing serious entertainment news, and seeing an article from BuzzFeed called "87 Reasons George Clooney Is the Hottest Man Alive" blowing up online. Stuff like that makes you wan't to throw in the towel as a writer.

(PS. It's 12:03 p.m. I wrote the above in 18 minutes. You can pull the text in a listicle out of thin air in no time.)

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

51755
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

33228
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

956158
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

181090
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments