PB1A - The Genre of Buzzfeed

Buzzfeed, a well-known blog discussing today's pop culture, political news, and more, contains specific conventions in each of their posts that become a staple in the Buzzfeed genre. Whether its their quirky tone, or their image inserts, Buzzfeed's audience can determine which posts are Buzzfeed. Primarily, the Buzzfeed audience is a majority of women, from 16-20-something's, which becomes the factor that contributes the most to the conventions they use in their blog posts. The bloggers that partake in this website target these people by relating to their emotions, thoughts, and reactions of multiple current events.

One specific detail that the Buzzfeed genre always includes is their nonchalant tone. Their posts are always written casually, even when posting random, humorous blog posts like "If Dating Was Like A Video Game" or lists like "19 DIY Projects That Will Make Your Home So Much More Cozy." Even when their posts graze over serious topics, they never fail to have a lighthearted mood, making their audience feel casual about political issues and much more.

A convention that Buzzfeed is known for are their frequent lists. Buzzfeed bloggers post lists containing tips on self-help, lists on attractive male actors and their newly grown beards, and everything in between. This convention is a staple Buzzfeed detail, and creates an expectation for their audience for which they must respond to. Following the certain lists that they create, Buzzfeed has a section on Quizzes - these are typically the most spoken about among their audience. These quizzes, whether or not one just wants to pass time, or they truly want to figure out if they are "More Light Or Dark Side Of The Force", are yet another convention that makes Buzzfeed well-known as their own genre.

Of course, a literary genre cannot be complete without its certain style and structure. When pertaining to Buzzfeed, their structure ranges from whichever post they want to create. Usually, in their lists, a blogger will first speak about the first item, post its photo, and caption it with a witty reaction or comment. Sometimes, they even break the fourth wall and ask the audience to silently agree with the item. However, in their structure for current events involve a true article on the matter and various, professional photographs capturing the news that they want to put in public. Their current events section almost always involves photographs; even the multiple structures become conventions to this genre.

Buzzfeed's sections, specific structuring of those sections, and their use of Internet-speak (i.e."LOL" or "OMG") all become conventions that contribute to their genre. Buzzfeed is a place for youngins' to visit and spend their time on, whether it's learning about the world or taking silly quizzes and learning DIY's, and that's what makes the Buzzfeed genre what it truly is. And, as Devitt writes "genres have the power to help or hurt human interaction..." (Writing 1), it is well-understood that Buzzfeed bloggers create a sense of relation for their audience in order to help human interaction.