Before I start, I really do like writing for this website. It gives me a platform to express my views and opinions, as well as expand my writing skills. Every week, dozens of articles are published that are well-researched, thoughtful, and professionally written. However, as much as I hate to admit it, this website is embarrassing.
Try searching the phrase "The Odyssey Online" on Twitter, and you'll find that many of our peers see this website as a joke. This website is well known as the dollar store version of Buzzfeed. If we're not posting open letters to the one who got away or comparing cookies to college majors, most of our content is clickbait. As of November 22, some of the more recent articles on Odyssey's Facebook page (which can be found here) include "Why Guys Should Be Taking Notes From Thomas Rhett Akins" "21 Things You Should Know Before Dating A Stubborn Girl". I don't know if you're aware of this, but Buzzfeed has an option where you can make an account and post clickbait-esque listicles there!
I understand that these "filler" articles might be a result of deadlines or writer's block, but the content that we produce should be representative of our generation's intelligence. The website's bio says "We are students, thinkers, influencers, and communities sharing our ideas with the world". I want this website to be respected, as I'm sure most of the creators on here do as well. It's hard to do that, though, when the articles on the front page are either about an extremely heavy subject, or about something way too frivolous to be taken seriously.
Adding on to the subject of Odyssey's public image, it seems like a lot of the articles shared on social media, if not vapid, are extremely controversial. Odyssey shares these stories (sometimes more than once in the span of a week or two) just so people can click and comment on Facebook about it. The article "I'm An 18-Year Old Female And I Will Never Be A Feminist" gathered 296 reactions, 91 shares, and 38 comments.
"I'm Sorry, But There Will Never Be More Than 2 Genders" received over a thousand reactions, 402 shares, and 110 comments. A tamer article is lucky to get 20 likes and maybe 5 comments.There's got to be a better way to bring new viewers to our website. If we keep trying to snag new members with these controversial pieces, the general public will begin to think that we exploit these controversies for attention. Oh, wait... that's basically what we're doing now.
As I briefly touched on before, the tropes commonly used on here are exhausting to scroll through.
"An Open Letter To ______"
"________ As Told By [insert popular TV show here]"
"[extremely prejudiced opinion] AND THAT'S OKAY!"
"I'm Not Like Most Girls, [insert internalized misogyny here]"
The list goes on and on. We're so far beyond beating a dead horse at this point. We need to be more creative than that. Millions of writing prompts are available online! You can write about a prevalent news topic! Write a review of a show or musical! Something, ANYTHING, other than stuff like "As A Rich White Republican Female, I'm Oppressed and Here's Why".
I realize that I may sound hypocritical. Sure, I've posted a silly article or two in my time (you can read one right here!) I'm not trying to bash any creator who makes a listicle about Finals Week As Told By Michael Scott.
I'm writing this almost as a call to action. Use this platform to speak up about your beliefs, make your voice heard, and let's talk about the issues that matter. Let's be better, more responsible, and more relevant as a whole. Maybe then we won't be seen as Buzzfeed's recycling bin.
