I’m Done With Listicle Posts
They are all formulaic and don’t serve a higher purpose
If I have to read one more post with the ‘3 Best Tips to Lose Weight forever’ or ‘10 Fabulous ways to Increase your Instagram Followers’, I may end up breaking something.
I get it. Lists are attractive, trigger curiosity, hook your wandering focus, and get your attention in a sea of content. Headlines like those work because they’re provocative, compelling, and make you believe in a fast solution.
I’ve done it myself in the past and now I wonder why I ever did because I just followed the herd mentality when doing so.
Why I dislike listicles as a consumer
The biggest peeve I have when it comes to listicles is the idea that they’re attempting to offer a silver bullet solution to the challenge a person is facing. We all know that magic solutions don’t exist, but our brain refuses to believe that. We click anyway on the false promises and the quick fixes.
We hold out hope that just because it was hard for someone else doesn’t mean it has to be hard for us. Human beings run away from pain and difficulty. It’s but natural that we’d expect our chosen tasks to be trouble-free. Why would we choose the slow and steady path when there’s a possibility of mercurial, overnight growth? *Spoiler alert: These don’t exist.
Listicles make us bad readers. Have you ever noticed a curious thing on articles like these on Medium, as well as on other websites? There’s a tag labeled ‘Reading Time’. That’s right; it tells you exactly how much precious attention you need to be investing in reading an article and more importantly, whether it will give you the much-needed results in this time.
Okay, hold up. When did this become a thing? Do you mean to tell me that we are such paragons of time management — we never waste a single waking moment of our existence — that reading an article needs to come with a caveat and a time limit?
Add the listicle on top of that and you’ve got a recipe designed to appeal to skimmers and scanners. What a tragi-comic way of reading or learning something.
Now, do you realize why it’s so hard for many of us to read a book from cover to cover? We’ve trained our brains to rely on clickbait, light reading and shortened attention spans. Reading a quick list article feels productive and energizing; when in fact, it’s done nothing of the sort for you.
But an in-depth reading of the understanding of the art of deliberate practice? That takes time and a love of learning for its own sake.
Listicles are perfect for instant gratification. It’s true. They give you the high of having done something without moving an inch from your comfortable couch.
10 ways to break up with your phone? Well, duh! I just read an article on the topic and now I know I won’t look at my phone ever again.
It reminds me of that brilliant article by Srinivas Rao — Don’t confuse attention with accomplishment.
Every listicle that we read undermines our ability to explore the joys of deep work, silent creativity and slow, sustainable growth. That’s why we need to break away from them.
Our Responsibility as a Creator
If you are a writer or content creator, I urge you to consciously move away from writing listicles or giving them your attention. You have a gift. You can use it to transform the lives of those reading your words. You can make people pause, sit up, think, reflect and take action. Why would you throw all of those precious gifts away for the sake of a click-bait headline?
Find the joy in creating gorgeous long-form pieces that make people lose track of time. Take loving care to craft a beautiful piece of writing that speaks from your soul. Immerse yourself in the ocean of reflective thought that helps you stay grounded as a writer, without chasing after the temporary high of vanity metrics.
Because the truth is this:
A listicle may get you readers; but it will rarely bring you an audience.
About Shailaja
Shailaja Vishwanath is a creator and coach with over 14 years of experience in the digital space. She has a deep and abiding interest in minimalism, slow business and gentle productivity. She helps other creators, business owners, homemakers and social media influencers learn these guiding principles of mindful time and energy management. She writes more about these topics here.
