The Wolf of Buzzfeed: The Perfect Takedown of Clickbait Culture

It's pretty ironic that a YouTube clip criticising internet culture is going viral. Nonetheless this parody of The Wolf of Wall Street made by Half Day Today is pitch perfect. In a remake of the film's trailer, the hedonistic tale of American conman Jordan Belfort is transposed to the life of Buzzfeed CEO Jonah Peretti. Hilarity ensues.

Everyone knows Buzzfeed is a bit of a black hole. You stumble across something in a Facebook newsfeed and suddenly you're falling into an internet-shaped abyss that no longer houses your study or work but only thousands of lists about Harry Styles, '90s cartoons and what '90s cartoons would looks like if they were recast with Harry Styles. This is your life now. And, while no one's saying it's directly Jonah Peretti's fault... it sure is nice to blame someone.

"With these lists you can create a stupid GIF, write a nonsensical blob of text, and it will get retweeted millions of times without ever using an even number in your title," says the video's Peretti. Much like Jordan Belfort's dubious pathway to success using penny stocks, there seems to be something vaguely criminal about the Buzzfeed marketing strategy and it's somewhat confronting to see it played out in front of your eye.

Still. We can't help ourselves. This is still 100 percent our reaction whenever we find a relatable listicle or a new viral video to share *coughcough*.