I’ll admit that the above is a little on the fatalistic side, but we all recognize that the list is the signature form of our time. (“37 Pictures That Will Restore Your Faith in Pit Bulls.” “15 More Bizarre Kiddie Cartoon Conspiracy Theories.” “The 12 Meanest Ways to Tip a Waiter.” “22 Pictures of Miley Cyrus’ Open Mouth.”) The stream of content that rushes through our lives often seems like an absurdist spectacle of randomly generated specifics, a comic nightmare of futile enumeration. The point of counting is, in a way, to get to the end of counting; but this is a counting that admits of no conclusion—a bottomless inventory of everything and nothing. (“8 of the Most Inappropriate Moments from Last Night’s VMAs.” “13 Signs You’re Addicted to Lip Balm.” “7 Disney Cartoons You Should Definitely Go Back To.” “6 Animals With Sex Lives That Are Weirdly Human.”)

3.