I have great respect for writers. It might be because I consider myself one or simply because I enjoy reading. But I think the time and effort authors pour into their work is really admirable. For some it’s more than just a hobby: it’s apassion. You’ll recognize the works of these kinds of authors immediately.

The time and dedication an author puts into their craft never go to waste to a practiced eye; the long hours spent hunched over a dimly lit laptop screen or sitting at a desk really show in the end result. The attention to detail is plain to see, and it makes the work all the more interesting and compelling. As a reader, I love that. I really appreciate when an author goes the extra mile and puts that level of thought and depth into their writing. It makes the experience for us, the audience, that much more enjoyable.

Let’s talk about something a little less pleasant: “listicles”. Ever heard of them?

“Listicles” are a popular form of writing that has plagued the internet over the past couple of years. As most of you may know, “listicle” is a portmanteau of the words “article” and “list”. It serves as an umbrella term for any articles or pieces of writing that are presented in the form of a list.

Here are a couple of examples of listicles, taken from well-known internet digital media company BuzzFeed:

• 30 Gifts For That Person You Don’t Have A Gift For Yet
• 18 Seriously Life-Changing Habits To Try in 2018
• 13 Impossible Decisions For Netflix Addicts
• The 50 Worst Things On The Internet in 2017

In the past few years, the popularity of listicles has skyrocketed and there is no indication that this trend will stop any time in the near future. And why should it? The huge increase in popularity indicates that people love this kind of content, and will continue to read them as fast as these internet media companies can churn them out.

But I’ll be frank: I personally hate them, and I hate reading them. They certainly have their place in the spectrum of written content, I’ll give them that, but too many people have been saturating the online creative space with them, and I’m sick of it.

For lack of a better term, I’d call listicles “cheap” content. You can see what I mean simply by the way their titles are framed. They reek of clickbait. The authors of listicles know exactly what they’re doing: they’re using these kinds of titles because they work. Clickbait has proven successful time and time again when it comes to pulling large numbers of readers in.

Regardless of whether the content is good or not, readers will click if a title is enticing enough to generate even just fleeting interest. That’s not all that hard, considering the short attention span and fast-fingered nature of most internet users.

Also, whether or not the person who clicked on a listicle reads it in its entirety is irrelevant. Once they click, that view will be counted. And for internet media companies like BuzzFeed, Cracked, and Wired, views mean revenue.

Writing listicles just feels like a cop out, an easy way to pump out medium to low-quality content in large quantities. It’s much more difficult to write an actual article, carefully crafted with transitions and vocabulary than it is to just throw together a bunch of fluffed-out bullet points with gifs. I like my work to be read and considered for its content, not its title or format.

Having said all this, there’s no need to be ashamed if you've written listicles before or enjoy reading them. Or maybe you want to start writing listicles yourself, which is totally fine as well. I’m not here to tell anyone how to express themselves, nor am I here to ostracize and shame people that don't agree with my opinion of listicles.

That’s the beauty of writing: do what you want, however you see fit.

However, this is my advice to you as a fellow writer, and a friend: do more with your words. Let the content of your writing be its selling point, not a flashy title.