The Prestigious Sight & Sound Poll (2022) The 100 Greatest Films Of All Time (1 Viewer)

[JohnRice]

I’m not necessarily convinced that people want to see them as much as they’re offered but it’s an effective way to generate clickbait and outrage (which is a reliable generator of engagement).

Well... clearly that didn't work here.

 

[TravisR]

I’m not necessarily convinced that people want to see them as much as they’re offered but it’s an effective way to generate clickbait and outrage (which is a reliable generator of engagement).

Yeah, even in a healthy discussion, the ranking is what generates the talk and debate. If someone listed their ten favorite Star Wars movies in release order, I'd probably largely agree with the ten movies but if they ranked them, I'd be enraged at their ranking (unless it was basically the same as mine) and I'd have to tell them that they are a stupid monster.

 

[PMF]

C’mon, let’s face it, we love these lists.

 

[mskaye]

I’m not necessarily convinced that people want to see them as much as they’re offered but it’s an effective way to generate clickbait and outrage (which is a reliable generator of engagement). A list of 100 “best” films in no particular order that includes a few titles you’ve never seen or don’t like won’t garner much of a response, but put that title you’ve never seen or dislike in the top ten and that seems to trigger something in the brain demanding some kind of engagement and response. And if it’s on one of those sites where they split up a list across multiple pages, having them numbered makes people more likely to keep clicking, and each new click generates ad revenue. I find a lot of it to be cynical attempts just to get us monkeys to press the button, for their satisfaction - maybe I’m the cynical one here but I think they’re worse

This is not a new phenom. The first sight and sound poll was in 1952. People want things curated for them sometimes. There is so much "content" out there that some people want to know what to watch and Like it or not it is woven into our culture. Vulture, EW, The Times, Award shows, Lists, top ten this, ten of that, ranking the best of a franchise. It's there and it is not going away.