I should start with a disclaimer that I don’t regularly use BuzzFeed. It’s always struck me as the Internet equivalent of a magazine targeted towards preteen girls, and I’m kind of burnt out on preteen girl magazines.
Still, every now and then, I’ll see an interesting link or get forced into taking a quiz by my friends, and I usually enjoy myself. Then afterwards, I’ll get the immediate urge to take a shower. But for you, dear reader, I overcame my inhibitions and examined BuzzFeed in detail ... and it’s not that bad.
BuzzFeed offers a lot of different services, but most of them don’t matter. In addition to celebrity and entertainment news, you can go on BuzzFeed to get world news, which is pretty saddening. There are also links to viral videos, and tags like “LOL,” “fail,” and “WTF.” Let’s just move on to the important stuff.
The most interesting parts of BuzzFeed seem to be in the community posts and the quizzes, which are curiously hidden away under the “More” section. Here you’ll find the weird, quirky humour that people seem to go to BuzzFeed for.
The basic BuzzFeed post format is a numbered list which consists primarily of GIFs from popular movies/TV shows/celebrities, with a brief line to give some context. It’s mindless, shallow ... and wonderful. It could be that I’m just very easy to please, but I freaking love reaction GIFs. I could look at dumb reaction GIFs for hours, and to be honest, I probably have. You’re not going to find anything insightful in these GIF-laden lists, but they’re often relatable. I never realized how much Jennifer Lawrence and I have in common. I’m pretty sure I could be her.
<strong>Highlights:</strong>
• “13 Absolutely delicious ways to eat Thin Mints” — And to think I’ve only been eating them one way, like some sort of peasant!
• “18 Things that are easier than student loans” — Including such arduous tasks as getting into Hogwarts and being more flawless than Beyonce.
• “23 Signs you are a pro at being broke” — This one struck far too close to home.
Equally amusing are the quizzes. Designed for those Internet users looking to discover themselves, BuzzFeed quizzes usually ask you personal questions in order to give you a new way to label yourself. The real fun (and stupidity) comes in the topic of the themes themselves. It’s not just “What [TV show] character are you?” or “What is your soulmate like?” (although there’s plenty of that). Somehow, the BuzzFeed quiz environment developed to promote the most inane, nonsensical quizzes you’ll find anywhere. These are questions you never would have thought of, questions you never knew you wanted the answers to until you saw them. I took a quiz titled “Are you Andy Samberg or a Sandy Burger?” Apparently, I’m a sandy burger, which is a little bit disappointing. On the other hand, I took a quiz to find out why I was single, and apparently I’m just too attractive. Ladies.
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<strong>Highlights:</strong>
• “How would you fare in the Hunger Games”? — Apparently I’d survive due to technical difficulties, but realistically, I wouldn’t stand a chance.
• “What kind of sandwich are you?” — Meatball sub (a.k.a. The best kind!)
•”Which Liz Lemon food are you?” — Mozzarella sticks. I have no idea what this says about me.
All things considered, BuzzFeed was a fun diversion at first glance. I could see myself getting tired of it, since it is basically always the same thing, but if you like GIFs and dumb quizzes, BuzzFeed is the place to be.
