Stunt (journalism) is our habit, apparently
If you feel like there’s been an illegal amount of “I tried [weird beauty, sex, food-related or productivity trend] and here’s what happened!” content lately, fear not, it is NOT just your imagination/specific Twitter circle.
According to this excellent piece from Newsweek — “Are We Living In The Golden Age of Stunt Journalism?”, stunt journalism, or Jackass-inspired journalism if you will, is a real thing now ravaging every corner of the internet, thanks to a combination of:
too many J-school kids thinking that they’re Hunter S. Thompson reincarnate
the industry’s yet undying need for clicks
our generation’s need to monetize every experience/intake of oxygen for internet fame
It’s a bit scary to think just what nutso things we’re willing to do for ~the clicks~ (though tbh I scrolled through the entirety of this one about living like Kylie Jenner and was embarrassingly spellbound), but like, don’t hate the ~genre~, hate the (usually from Vice) peeps who are making it a bit too weird for everyone.
Here are three stunt journalism pieces I would like to read ASAP; please forward when y’all find them/write them.
“I pointed out the gender gap at my company and here’s what happened!”
“I engaged one stranger in a constructive conversation about systemic racism every day for 40 days straight and lived to tell the tale!”
“Here’s what happened when I emptied my savings account to move to Mars!”*
*I’m serious, people, this is my new threshold for consuming ~spontaneous travel~ essays.
Like Deez Links? Forward to someone who would also enjoy a quality Kylie photo essay.