Buzzfeed's genre

Buzzfeed is a website that is notorious for hooking in internet viewers with taglines such as “26 things you won’t believe we found on other websites!”, or “Do you know how to make this vodka watermelon?”.

They use this convention because they know it works. They know that people will scan this headline with a quick glance while browsing their Facebook newsfeed and think to themselves ‘Why yes! I do want to know how get drunk from a watermelon!’ The people at Buzzfeed aim to grab the attention of the bored reader. The normal conventions of a Buzzfeed article include a short, attention grabbing headline, a list of things that apply to the headlines, or a quick quiz that tells you what Disney princess your husband is.

The main audience of a Buzzfeed article are bored teenagers and young adults that are just sitting at home, or waiting for the teacher to dismiss them, or just taking a break from working. You’ll see people busy on their smartphones swiping down the Buzzfeed page just trying to find an article or quiz or even a list that can distract them from their boring day. Because of this they produce articles that sufficiently waste enough time for them to cure their boredom for the few minutes that they have.

The purpose of these articles is to give the young adult mind enough stimulation that it keeps drawing them back for more each time they are bored. Curiosity killed the cat and the writers at Buzzfeed utilize this by drawing in our attention by interesting titles and quizzes. Quizzes give the readers a kind of pleasure from knowing that they were already ‘correct’ about what cereal flavor fits them best for their personality.

Articles on Buzzfeed usually contain funny videos and quizzes that peak the interest of readers. Some examples of these quizzes include “What Nintendo 64 game are you?” and “What Game of Thrones character are you?” I believe that the reason people are so interested in these quizzes is partly because of their boredom and partly because of they think it would be funny to see what the answer is for them, out of novelty. I remember when there was a quiz which Full-Metal Alchemist character I was and I got the main character, so being the fifteen year old I was, I rubbed it in the face of my best friend since she like that show.

Finally, the usual tone of a Buzzfeed article is a happy-go-lucky tone that tries to be as cheerful as possible. I think they do this on purpose because people are usually more receptive of a tone that is friendly and accepting over a tone that is condensending and critical of things that people have very different views on such as politics. This is what makes Buzzfeed different than other news and social media sites; it sometimes lets its readers to be exposed to what is happening in the world, while still giving a tone that can be seen as constructive.  They give a sense of humor while being serious when they need to be.

Buzzfeed articles have become a genre of their own, with their cliché titles and their just ridiculously named quizzes. They might sometimes be annoyingly abundant, but people do enjoy them when they have nothing to do.