The onslaught of BuzzFeed quizzes is inescapable. Not only do these quizzes keep our attention when we’re bored, but they also keep us engaged and hooked above all else. Creating content in this vein has allowed BuzzFeed to take become an Internet cornerstone in such a short amount of time. With more executive development, BuzzFeed has the potential to take off and become a legitimate cultural force. From hilarious to outrageous to downright weird, these quizzes are sweeping the Internet. If a user sees a friend getting a funny result for “Which Sandwich Are You?” they are automatically pulled into the same link to take the same the quiz.
Don’t want to write that paper that’s due tomorrow and you’re on a Hunger Games kick? Go ahead and take a break with the “What Would Be Your Fate in The Hunger Games?” quiz. I can tell you now that I got “YOU DIED FIRST.” No surprise there.
With its ever-expanding database of articles, lists and, of course, personality quizzes, BuzzFeed is becoming a pop culture center for Internet users. I can see the site holding an allure for comedy writers, culturally aware young adults or anyone with a good sense of humor, and I can see these individuals flocking to the web site for jobs.
There’s so much room for creativity; most of the result descriptions and choices for each question are so funny and relatable that it’s hard not to think about the writers behind them.
BuzzFeed presents many new opportunities in the increasingly compressed editorial and writing fields, giving writers more creative freedom in and editors the challenge of a diversified body of work.
To persist as a legitimate culture force, BuzzFeed will have to adopt some more durable business strategies. Recruiting prominent guest writers to cover more serious material on a regular basis, much like The New York Times does, would be a great boost in its legitimacy. This would allow the site to draw in an even larger readership.
BuzzFeed has options beyond expanding its editorial presence, too. It could make use of television programming or even a weekly web series to cover topics through a more visual medium.
The website could utilize a format along the lines of E! Network’s “The Soup” or a panel-based discussion show like “Chelsea Lately.” For a more “down-to-business” approach in terms of media issues, one could push for a “Real Time with Bill Maher” style. The more versatile BuzzFeed gets, the more long-lasting it will be.
Not all social networking and viral entities are mindless and uninspired fads. BuzzFeed already has a lot of potential and seems primed to influence. The site has a lot to offer now, but just wait for its evolution into a trusted and ambient media institution. So for now, take a quiz or browse a humorous list and prepare to be offended, confused or amused – or all three at once.