Listicle
Listicle [ ˈlɪstɪk (ə) l ] is a cross of the English word list “list” and article “article” and denotes a journalistic article that is published in enumerated form, just as a list . A typical listicle is a blog or magazine article with a headline like “10 things a man needs” or “What happens with Grexit?” And a text that follows that reads like a loosely worded list.
Origin and reception
Listicles, even before they were so called, have long been popular in the tabloid press because they suggest to the reader that he only has to read through a succinctly written list in order to develop a complex topic without effort. The term itself has been appearing on online news portals since around 2010, which rely on brevity and conciseness to attract attention. A prominent example in English is BuzzFeed , where every topic is implemented in the form of listicles, sometimes even completely without text, but only with images or videos that are coordinated with one another. It is possible that BuzzFeed invented the term listicle. Another great Listicle portal is cracked.com .
A formal distinction is made between three types of listicles:
- according to rank. Example: "The 100 best albums of the last twenty years"
- thematically: The author sets up the ranking list according to personal assessment.
- at random
Because of its quick, often superficial journalistic style, the Listicle is viewed critically by language educators. Proponents point out that the listicle is just a shape, a container for content of any depth.
See also
- Charticle : an article with an excess of pictures and little text.
Web links
- University of Chicago Magazine: The listicle as literary form
- The Guardian : Top nine things you need to know about listicles
- The Guardian: 11 reasons why we should still love listicles
- The Guardian: 5 ways the listicle is changing journalism
Individual evidence
- ↑ Deutsche Welle: Listicle: The time after the bankruptcy , June 2015
- ↑ Example from August 29, 2014: “Things Beyoncé Does That'd Be Awkward If You Did Them” showed two video loops of the singer during a workout.
- ↑ listicle - waywordradio.org
- ↑ The term Charticle was coined around 2008 by the journalist Josh Crutchmer. See American Journalism Review , Oct./Nov. 2008