Why Do We Like Ranking Things So Much?

Another musing on my social media algorithm, I guess. I forgot to mention last time I started a piece with my social media algorithm that, aside from guitar videos, gear demos, and solo clips, another form of content that really seems to pop up on my phone these days is rankings. Some of them don't even align with many of my interests at all. Ranking every US President. Ranking the best drinks to have on the golf course. Ranking every Malcolm in the Middle episode from worst to best. Ranking every letter in the alphabet. Why were people ranking things that would arguably be tedious and extremely difficult to gauge? 

Now, before I start ranting about this, there is one thing I need to be clear about. I love ranking things. I used to rank Star Wars movies and Star Trek episodes as a kid (yes, I am a fan of both franchises). Currently, I have an ongoing list of Bond films from worst to best saved on my phone, and a list of the greatest guitar players of all time constantly shifted about in my brain. I love ranking things. But why? Why did I feel the need to rank all 25 Bond movies? For this to be completed, I would have to watch all of these movies in close succession, so that my memory stays fresh. And don't even get me started on the alphabet. How are you gonna rank that?

To figure out a possible answer to this question, I first consulted my childhood in order to find out why I liked ranking things so much. For those wondering why I did not immediately turn to Google and discover what scientists had to say about this, I knew there were no statistics to answer this question. Even if there were studies or research conducted on this issue, I was certain that simple science was not the way. Do we think of science all the time when we're ranking things? Probably not. 

Why did, or rather, why do I like ranking things? Let's start simple. I like chronology. Putting things in order of importance, preference, or simply making a list of a thing's development over time seemed intriguing. Let's think of Bond movies, for example. If I had not made at least a mental list of each actor's tenure and their respective films, would I have cared for the developmental aspect of each film? Would I look at Connery's Bond compared to Craig's Bond, and have spotted all of the differences in their nearly 50-year gap: their portrayals, the sidekicks, or the gadgets? Maybe not in detail. Let’s add another layer. If I were to add my own preferences and rearrange this chronological list, I would have a much clearer picture of not only the development in each film, but also my critique of these developments and how they compare to each other. 

The same goes for my list of influential guitarists. I would first make a list of all my heroes: Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer, Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, and so on. Then, I would rearrange these names according to the amount of influence they had on my style of playing from least to most: BB King, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. For me, ranking things always starts with listing every element, devising a criterion for arrangement, and rearranging them to complete a list based on my preferences.

But this would undoubtedly be different for others. I've seen people do point scoring, create charts with written reasoning behind each of their choices, and even blind rankings, where people rank items without knowing what comes next, and cannot recant. In these forms, ranking is not just about placing things on a list anymore, but rather, actual critical thinking and decision making that requires consideration, clear criteria, and ample knowledge of what you're ranking.

Let's just take blind ranking as an example. Unlike most list-making, where you are given a set of items and are made to rank them, blind ranking sets you up so that the comparative factors that lead up to the decision amount to a bare minimum. Only the number of items you are meant to rank is revealed to you. All of the elements I previously mentioned, such as chronology, development, and preference, are removed from the act of ranking. All that is left is pure speculation on what items will be provided for you. 

But this is far from order. While normal ranking is, in my opinion, a chance to organize our brain and label a specific sequence of preference, alternative forms of ranking, such as point scoring and blind ranking, where more mathematics and critical thinking are involved, are meant to give us more creative input. Looking at each item on a list from multiple different perspectives is simply so much better than saying, "Oh, it's great," or "Oh, it's better." Meanwhile, blind ranking forces us to think on the spot and make tough decisions; acts we find incredibly difficult to muster, but also fun and intriguing when there is enough reasoning to back up a claim. I feel that since we as creatures long for new perspectives, diverse ideas, and "hot takes", ranking has morphed into something more than just a medium to organize. It's fun to rank things. It's even more fun now. 

Sure, I have never been courageous enough to blindly rank 10 Bond films, or to rank every John Mayer song in his catalogue using a score system (I've seen multiple on Reddit). But I see no harm in trying this out. After all, it must be fun, right?

Credit: The Makeshift Project