Call it social marketing, call it native advertising, call it strategic content marketing. In reality, it does not matter what you call it, just make sure that you are calling it out. If you are familiar with the internet, then you are certainly familiar with BuzzFeed. 

“BuzzFeed is the leading media company for the social age, intensely focused on delivering high-quality original reporting, insight and viral content across a rapidly expanding array of subject areas,” according to BuzzFeed’s website. 

BuzzFeed calls itself a media company, but what does that really mean? Students often assume this title correlates with unbiased reporting and accurate information. This assumption could not be farther from the truth. 

BuzzFeed is on the front line of a major shift in the advertising industry. This shift is away from traditional banner ads on the internet and toward social advertising that engages consumers, inspires sharing and produces earned media.

BuzzFeed’s strategy is groundbreaking and brilliant and has proven to be incredibly successful and lucrative. The site is rapidly growing and reaches more than 200 million monthly unique visitors. At its current projected trajectory, BuzzFeed is set to eclipse sites like The New York Times, Huffington Post and CNN over the next few years. This is very concerning considering the nature of BuzzFeed’s “media.” 

Whether it is content published directly by a BuzzFeed editor or uploaded from a corporate sponsor, the majority of BuzzFeed articles are uploaded with the intention of manipulating the reader into consuming some type of product. 

You might read “This Is How Often You Should Actually Wash Your Towels” and “17 Reasons You Are Not Washing Your Towels Enough,” but is BuzzFeed really concerned with your personal hygiene habits?

 No, BuzzFeed is being paid by a major detergent company to encourage you to wash your towels more, thus spending more money on detergent. 

“This Is What One Man Learned From Wearing Makeup For A Week.”

Is this man on a noble pursuit to challenge gender norms and break down stereotypes? Is this selfless creature the patron saint of social justice movements?  No, if you read between the lines (or even just at the bottom of the page where it clearly states it), this article was sponsored by MAC and Benefit Cosmetics. 

This brave man is being paid a hefty amount to supposedly wear makeup around for a week.  This viral article is loaded with product placement intended to capitalize on the popularity of such social justice movements and sell you, the consumer, cosmetic products.

According to Jon Steinberg, Buzzfeed’s previous president, in 2013 alone, BuzzFeed created more than 500 branded content campaigns, all with direct-sold Fortune 1000 brands.

The issue is not that college students are reading and enjoying these articles. The issue is not that BuzzFeed does, on occasion, bring light to certain social justice issues. The issue is that students are accepting BuzzFeed as an accurate and unbiased news source. Many students will not take the time to read the fine print. 

Please, consider the author of the article.  Consider the angle of the article. Look for scientific sources which correlate to the facts presented by BuzzFeed. Students need to consider if the content has manipulative intentions before blindly accepting it as the truth. This is not rocket science. 

Enjoy the content that BuzzFeed produces, laugh over “32 Cats Who Are Having a Worse Day Than You,” but please take it all with a grain of salt. Take BuzzFeed’s content for entertainment value, but not for news value.

Next time you are enjoying “17 Reasons Why Ariana Grande is Bae,” check to make sure it was not sponsored by her record label.