Viral numbered lists are taking over the globe. Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but can you remember the last time you scrolled through your newsfeed or timeline and did not see a link to ‘13 Reasons Why Your Sister is the Best’ or ‘25 Things I’ve Learned by 25’? Me neither. When these types of posts became popular I was super into them. Who doesn’t love reading about other peoples’ tidbits on life in list form? However, as I started to get more into them I realized that sometimes I did not finish reading the post as satisfied as I had hoped for. In fact, I began finishing all the posts feeling a little worse than I had before I started.
First and foremost, they prove our generation is extremely self-obsessed. These lists are designed to tell us about ourselves (some might say “putting words in your mouth”). Well who does not want to read a list that is supposedly all about you? In this day and age: no one. It can be easy to read a list and relate it to your life, but often times the list is about something else completely. These lists are just highlighting the speculation that generation Y is the most self-obsessed one yet.
Along with self-obsession, these types of lists enforce stereotypes. These articles often highlight stereotypes that may not be completely true. A list called ‘20 signs you are from the South’ can include stereotypical actions of southern people, but is not an accurate representation of everyone that lives below the Mason-Dixon line. However, the article is propelling stereotypes even further, making them harder and harder to combat.
Moreover, they show that we have a short attention span. The fact that we cannot read these articles in paragraph form is frightening. More numbered list articles pop up on my timeline than a paragraph formatted news article. I too am guilty of bypassing news to read these lists; however, it scares me that I cannot put in the minimal effort to read a paragraph instead of a list.
In my opinion the absolute worst thing about them is that they often make you feel unsatisfied with yourself. In my mind, these lists are perpetually disappointing. You open the tab, excited to read about the ’25 things you should know before 20’ and then, after reading, realize you’ve been making so many mistakes in your life thus far based on what that list is telling you. In reality, you’re doing just fine. Everyone learns different things by 20 and if a list could give you the answers then growing up would serve no purpose.
Finally, people desperately want answers to their life questions and they look to these lists with high hopes. Alas, these answers will not come through a numbered list. People are fixated on discovering a sense of self, myself included. People want to know who they are and what that means from an early age. However, understanding yourself cannot be rushed and most certainly cannot be solved through a list.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, that was not in list form