Why all of this buzz about BuzzFeed, anyway?

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Boraan Abdulkarim

Freshman Ellie Findell got the result Hermione Granger in a character quiz she took on BuzzFeed. “If you want to learn more about the TV show you’re watching or movies or books, then you can get more into it by seeing if you’re like any of the characters…I like [knowing that] I’m Hermione from Harry Potter,” she said.

Amodhya Samarakoon, Opinions Editor

Ever wondered which Tim Burton character you are? Or which United States city to actually live in?  Or “LOL”ed while reading those 14 unforgettable moments of Nina Dobrev in “The Vampire Diaries”? Are you more like Kim or Kanye? From taking unusual quizzes, to discovering how well you know movie quotes, to finally knowing how long you would last as a barista, BuzzFeed provides the answers to life’s most pondered questions while simultaneously causing one to experience a range of emotions.

Sophomore Soph Lundberg said that she spends about 30 minutes to an hour on BuzzFeed per day but, of course, that doesn’t occur every day and she has only recently discovered the existence of the BuzzFeed app. “I go on there to take quizzes, and read little articles that are kind of like life hack stuff,” Lundberg said.

One particular article Lundberg read (in BuzzFeed’s infamous list-format which goes up to any number except those evenly divisible by 10) was titled “21 Problems All Sarcastic People Will Understand,” and as a self proclaimed sarcastic person she found it quite relatable. There was one line in particular which resonated with her: “Your sense of humor can be described as an ‘acquired taste.’”

For other BuzzFeed lovers who have more of a thing for books, movies and television shows, such as freshman Ellie Findell, main attractions are character quizzes. “If you want to learn more about the TV show you’re watching or movies or books, then you can get more into it by seeing if you’re like any of the characters…I like [knowing that] I’m Hermione from Harry Potter,” Findell said (in her Potter-worthy British accent).

[Buzzfeed] definitely caters to a specific demographic.

— sophomore Soph Lundberg

Her cycle of BuzzFeed surfing, similar to many others, starts out with a the maybe-just-a-couple-quizzes mentality “and then there’ll be recommendations for more quizzes, and then even more quizzes, and it ends up being half an hour…maybe longer,” Findell said.

A few note-worthy quizzes for some Potterheads would be “Which Harry Potter Spell Are You” and “Which Harry Potter Character Are You.” However, readers must be warned: taking one of these quizzes will inevitably lead to the discovery of another 20 Harry Potter quizzes, made to satisfy and shape one’s inner wizard while also encouraging procrastination.

Contradictory to many people’s initial idea as to the theme of BuzzFeed’s content, not all their articles are purely entertainment focused. “Some [things on BuzzFeed are] actually informative, but not like those really dense news articles…it definitely caters to a specific demographic,” Lundberg said.  She states that she likes the way BuzzFeed presents an idea or issue: “Bloomberg or CNN are definitely adult based and BuzzFeed is kind of like ‘okay here’s the deal…okay now go from an opinion on what you just [read or watched]…it allows you to explore it further [on your own],” Lundberg said.

BuzzFeed tells us the things we want to hear… us being teens.

— freshman Jacob Adams

There are plenty of BuzzFeed posts which focus on important or controversial topics like feminism, but from alternative and quirky angles such as an article titled “This Artist Turned Iconic Feminist Movements Into Powerful Illustrations.” Also, Buzzfeed addresses these topics without imposing upon the reader an overwhelmingly strong opinion and page upon page of text. Along with inspirational articles, there are plenty of others which evoke tears of happiness from even the most cold hearted of readers such as “The Way These Guys Look At Their Brides For The First Time On Their Wedding Day Is Magical.” Also, their articles also tend to have really long headlines it’s difficult to be mislead by the title when searching for something to read or a quiz to take.

Yet there is no doubt that BuzzFeed is very liberal in terms of the content they choose to display. “Other news sites talk about the things we ‘have’ to hear while BuzzFeed tells us the things we want to hear… us being teens,” freshman and proud BuzzFeed article reader Jacob Adams said. Whether trying to induce laughter or encourage their readers to just stop and think, writers definitely do not shy away from controversial and occasionally explicit posts or calling out companies such as Instagram when necessary.

So feel free to find out what kind of unicorn you are, discover the reasons why men should never do yoga, and be inspired to finally pierce your septum, and do so shamelessly.