Lists are literally everywhere on the internet. Very seldom does the millennial generation actually indulge in a true article nowadays. Lists are easy to read, their format broken up by individual ideas supported by thoughts, and oftentimes mixed media, to convey a point to which the audience can directly relate. Nearly everyone loves a good list, except for me. So here are 10 reasons why I mother-effing hate lists.
10. Irony
First off, let me be completely honest and wholeheartedly admit my hypocrisy. I have written and indulged in many articles whose formats are lists, weirdly delighting in the content of “10 reasons every nineties kid is nostalgic” and headlines of such candor.
9. Lists are mostly comprised of opinions
Granted, there are a few lists that are not necessarily opinion pieces, as some appeal to the intrinsic experiences of humanity and the ideas gathered from cartoons, but most of them are trivial opinions that do not really pertain to the betterment of our lives. I do understand the importance of entertainment, but I believe that we can find our daily entertaining fluff to our amusement if we stray from the list.
8. Click bait
They just want you to click on them, to get shares, to promote the website upon which the list resides. The more shares the better. It all is a bit of a gimmick.
7. They’re making us scroll rather than read
I sincerely miss the days when it was normal to pick up a paper and take the time to read any article, regardless of what it is about. We can do this on online articles, too, if we so chose to subject ourselves to literacy.
6. GIFs. Everywhere.
Please stop. It bogs down my phone.
5. Destruction of journalism
So long ago are the days of the popularity of the Wall Street Journal and Forbes Magazine, where articles about our changing world can be read and reviewed, informing us about the daily destruction that is occurring around us. While this news is not necessarily chipper, it is nevertheless necessary for our generation to learn and understand.
4. They do not help us actually learn anything
Lists are created to be primarily relatable or interesting pieces of information, not to leave us thinking about the deepest depths of our souls. Good writing should prompt us to think more of anything, consider the world, and perhaps even reinvent ourselves. Lists are very seldom composed of such writing.
3. Bombardment of the internet
“10 WTF facts about lettuce!” and its peers are going to pop up everywhere. I feel it.
2. No one is going to share this list because very few people hold the same opinion that I do
I realize my unpopularity here. But think about it, I am writing a list about why I hate lists to a generation that loves them. I would be surprised if any of this got more than one share.
