Amid the social media craze that has overtaken the Internet in recent years, one website stands out. This site’s ability to present a seemingly interminable number of compulsively sharable articles is unparalleled. Its knowledge of the funniest GIFs on the Web and how best to use them is unmatched. Its band of witty Gen-Y writers displays an arguably unprecedented level of cultural savvy in today’s Web-obsessed world.
The site is called BuzzFeed. If you haven’t heard of it, there’s a high chance you’ve been living outside the solar system.
At its core, BuzzFeed is the ultimate procrastination tool. It’s chock-full of articles that amalgamate bizarre Web trends in hilarious ways, poke fun at political figureheads, create captioned albums of Beyonce’s facial expressions and list images of unfortunate blokes befallen by “America’s Funniest Home Videos”-style catastrophes. Its homepage refreshes constantly, so you could check the site every few hours and encounter a whole new slew of such articles. The diversity of its pieces is somewhat remarkable. There’s something — actually a lot of things — for everyone. As a result, it just about buries a hatchet in workplace efficiency.
But BuzzFeed is also, in its own subtle way, an online leader in promoting social justice and LGBT rights. Many of its articles engage with modern society’s most ghastly grievances. Its LGBT section is filled with articles that humanize and publicize the ongoing struggle for equality in the United States and elsewhere. In moments of national tragedy, BuzzFeed has some of the most sensitive, quality coverage on the Web. There’s no media bologna with them — they only seek to detail such tragedies in the most meaningful way possible.
There might not be a single other spot on the Web where articles on pop culture, entertainment, politics, music, food, sports and cute animals come together so successfully. Of course, there’s a point to be made that such an endless generator of occasionally important, often cheap and simplistic material represents nothing more than the ultimate waste of time. Although there’s certainly no denying BuzzFeed is poison to your productivity, it’s also a haven for pieces that can brighten your day, provide fodder for a re-connective post on an old friend’s Facebook timeline or keep you a little more educated about the crazy, fast paced world you live in. Unlike Facebook, you never really regret browsing around it for a little while.
BuzzFeed is an up-to-the-minute cultural staple. We can hardly imagine the Internet without it. A warning, however: Like relationships, classes and pets, the site is a bona fide commitment. Escaping its charming, provocative grip is a feat few ever manage — but then again, do you really want to get away?
