Editor’s note: Our Marketing intern John set himself a challenge; to write 2 opinion pieces about “listicles”…in listicle form. One would be positive, and the other negative.
Below are John’s arguments for listicles. See if you can figure out how he really feels…
Here’s my positive spin on the listicle trend, the companion piece to “Listicles Are a Dangerous Trend” article posted earlier this week.
1. Minimalism is Aesthetically Appealing
A minimalist writing style helps the readers get only the information they need, and nothing more. Let’s face it, it’s much easier for your eyes to jump from just handfuls of words to images or GIFs, than it is to wade through a screen of text.
2. The Main Points Are Clear
By clearly pointing out the 5 main points of this article readers can quickly glean the main ideas.
3. There is Topic Freedom
Some of the lists I have read are absolutely ridiculous (in a good way) and off the wall. 32 Smells That Will Take You Right Back To The 00’s? A Complete Ranking of (Almost) Every Single Mitch Hedberg Joke? I would have a pretty tough time finding this content in a copy of my local newspaper.
4. Listicles Are Easy on the Brain
You know what to expect when you click on a listicle. You’re going to get X number of points about a certain topic. Unlike most forms of long-form journalism, you also know before you dive in what your takeaway knowledge will be (even if it is relatively useless knowledge about noughties’ smells).
5. Listicles Are a Sharing Goldmine
Because most of the topics these lists are written on are so personal, they make sharing with friends and families so easy. This gives the authors more sharing power to get their posts amplified across the internet.
A Fun Way to Kill Time?
Listicles are becoming more and more popular, and I don’t see this trend reversing anytime soon. The listicle trend should be embraced for what it is: a fun way to kill time.
There you have it, positive and negative takes on the modern “listicle” craze. What’s your final verdict?
I don’t mind them. Very easy to skim over when I’m bored or don’t have time to read in depth on a topic.
I agree—lists are great for a quick read or as a boredom killer. All things in moderation though. – John
I love that WPengine is open enough to allow both sides of a coin to be discussed. 🙂
I think lists are nice when we are short of time and just want to quickly get some information. So I guess it all boils down to how much time we have and how helpful those lists are.
Thank you for your time and have and have an amazing day!
Thanks for your comments Deyson. We’re glad you enjoyed our little debate experiment. You’re right, a lot of it depends on the time you have available, but hopefully we all still have time for in-depth reads. – John