Saturday, 12 a.m., iPad Mini, under my bunk bed canopy, eyes locked on the screen as I scrolled through a seemingly endless stream of Buzzfeed quizzes, especially ones about Harry Potter and One Direction. Every time, I clicked through all the painfully obvious options just to get the result I knew I wanted before even starting (Slytherin FOR LIFE).
Literally, these quizzes defined us. There were zero stakes, yet we took them as legitimate personality assessments. Buzzfeed quizzes were our way to have fun and figure out what we liked, before social media started influencing our interests. We didn’t need a carefully curated feed to tell us who we were, we had “What % Hero Vs. Villain Are You?.”
Looking back, the questions were objectively ridiculous. How did they determine exactly what percent villain I was based on whether I prefer chicken noodle soup or clam chowder? But maybe that was the point. It was just lighthearted fun to answer a bunch of silly questions. We would even get secretly upset when our friends got the answer we wanted.Â
Now, instead of answering 10 questions to discover we’re 85% compatible with Jungkook from BTS, our TikTok algorithm can figure out our entire personality from the last 15 videos we watched. Don’t get me wrong, I love my feed, but it’s definitely not the same. Suddenly, I see something trending on TikTok, and I’m questioning whether I should like it or not. Although I still curate my own opinions, it’s not hard to be convinced in an era full of influencers. I miss when the old internet gave us room to figure ourselves out instead of constantly telling us what to like, buy, or care about (I’m a victim of TikTok Shop).
We need the internet to be chill again. As college students, we already face enough pressure from all directions: jobs, networking, studying. Even scrolling through my feed can turn into “How to Secure That Internship.” Instead of always feeling behind, we need an escape. That’s what makes BuzzFeed special. You just turn your brain off and mindlessly click. It never taught us anything, but at least we would leave feeling like we discovered something new about ourselves, even if it was completely untrue.Â
Plus, since 2026 is the new 2016, let’s bring back BuzzFeed. Please. We don’t need to literally bring back the era, but we could use a little more of that unseriousness. Next time you’re bored, instead of doomscrolling, flip open your laptop and find out which ice cream flavor you are or who your ideal type is based on your favorite vacation spots. It’s worth every minute, and it even feels like a reward! I have many important college tasks and decisions to make, but first, I need to know if I fit Belle or Snow White more.