What is BuzzFeed?
BuzzFeed is a digital media company best known for its viral content, listicles, and pop culture quizzes, but it has also become a serious player in digital journalism, branded content, and video production. It represents one of the earliest and most successful attempts to turn clicks into currency, built entirely for the age of social sharing.
BuzzFeed was founded by Jonah Peretti in 2006, in New York City. Peretti, one of the co-founders of The Huffington Post, launched BuzzFeed originally as an experimental side project focused on tracking viral content and internet trends.
In its earliest form, BuzzFeed wasn’t even a media outlet, it was a tech lab. Peretti, fascinated by how content spread online, created a platform that analyzed viral sharing patterns. The site published short, meme-driven content, and its main goal was to experiment with the science of virality rather than produce original journalism.
BuzzFeed’s tagline in those early days might as well have been “Will this go viral?”
Today, BuzzFeed has transformed from a quirky listicle factory into a full-blown media empire. It spans entertainment, lifestyle, news, food, and commerce, with major sub-brands like BuzzFeed News (which shuttered in 2023), Tasty (its food video division), and Complex (which BuzzFeed acquired in 2021).
While its early reputation was built on cat memes and personality quizzes, BuzzFeed has also earned accolades for serious investigative journalism. It won a National Magazine Award and even a Pulitzer Prize Finalist nod, though that aspect of the business never proved to be financially sustainable.
How does Buzzfeed make money?
BuzzFeed’s revenue model is built around one central idea: turning attention into income. The company makes the majority of its money through digital advertising, with a heavy focus on native ads and branded content that blend seamlessly into the types of posts their audience is already consuming.
Rather than relying on intrusive banner ads, BuzzFeed pioneered the concept of sponsored listicles, quizzes, and videos that feel just like their organic content—but with a brand message embedded. This model proved incredibly effective in the age of social sharing, where entertaining content spreads quickly and subtly delivers a commercial message.
Beyond advertising, BuzzFeed has also expanded into e-commerce and affiliate marketing. By curating gift guides, product roundups, and “things you didn’t know you needed” type content, they earn commissions from purchases made through affiliate links. Their influence is strong enough to drive real sales at scale, especially in lifestyle and entertainment verticals.
The company has even licensed its content to other media outlets and explored product partnerships, including cookbooks and merchandise from its popular Tasty brand. While the digital landscape continues to shift, BuzzFeed’s ability to diversify its income streams has helped it remain a major player in online media.
Is Buzzfeed Journalism?
Most people probably came across BuzzFeed the same way I did—somewhere between a celebrity quiz and a list of “25 Things Only ’90s Kids Will Remember” on Snapchat’s explore page in the mid-2010s. It was entertaining, fast, and perfectly tailored for the scroll-happy digital age. BuzzFeed felt like it belonged there—snappy headlines, punchy graphics, and enough pop culture to keep you coming back for more.
At the time of writing this, the top article on BuzzFeed’s homepage reads, “Jessica Simpson Claimed She Drinks ‘Snake Sperm’ For Her Singing.”
That doesn’t exactly scream Pulitzer-caliber reporting.
So the question has to be asked, is BuzzFeed journalism, or is it just digital sensationalism masquerading as media? There’s no doubt that platforms like BuzzFeed have captured a significant chunk of attention, especially from younger audiences who consume their news primarily online. But capturing attention and reporting the news are two very different things. One is about storytelling. The other is about spectacle.
To me, BuzzFeed feels less like a newsroom and more like the digital descendant of The Jerry Springer Show. It’s engineered for outrage, designed to grab clicks, and built around the wildest, weirdest headlines that will guarantee ad impressions. It’s a business model that prioritizes traffic over truth, and at times it feels like the content exists solely to bait engagement. And let’s not forget, BuzzFeed News, the company’s actual journalism arm, was officially shut down in 2023 due to a lack of profitability. If that doesn’t tell you where the company’s priorities lie, I don’t know what does.
There’s a haunting parallel here. Jerry Springer himself once admitted that his show had “ruined culture”, that the obsession with ratings had pushed them into broadcasting the most outlandish, debased behavior possible just to keep people watching. You can’t help but wonder if BuzzFeed will someday look back at its own archive of clickbait and controversy and feel the same way.
