It is hard to be a college student with social media and never see an “article” on The Odyssey. The topics range in genre, but typically have a common theme: irrelevancy.
Sure, some of the articles may be hilarious, whether their goal is to be humorous or not, but do not be fooled, this student writing platform is anything but journalism.
The platform’s stated goal is to “expose people to broader, more honest perspectives on topics they care about.” However, I hardly believe anyone asked for or particularly wants to read about topics such as “Why Girls Love The Dad Bod.”
I scoured The Odyssey’s website for an intelligently-formulated and written article but found few topics which are actually worth reading. It seems to me, The Odyssey is nothing more than a way to get likes or retweets, and the topics lack in diversity of both writers and content.
According to Jane Porter of CNBC, The Odyssey began as a sort of “16-page tabloid,” catering to Greek students and since morphed into a digital tabloid. Porter also interviewed the very student writer who wrote on the “dad bod” and who expressed her concern with the credibility of The Odyssey.
“Not long after the piece went viral, Odyssey asked Pearson to write an encore piece. But when Pearson turned in a more serious story, this time about the ‘mombod’ and the pressures women face after having children, she was encouraged to write something more lighthearted,” Porter said.
Pearson also expressed how The Odyssey exploits their writers, neglecting to pay them even when marketing and recruiting for the company.
However, the company is currently on the decline, and recently as much as one-third of the company was laid off.
In their Fortune article, Laura Entis and Polina Marinova said the company is one which rose to incredible heights and has fallen much in the same respect within the span of a year. Entis and Marinova detail the combination of both unrealistic output from their unpaid writers and superfluous spending is to blame.
Writers beware of joining The Odyssey, not only are contributors left unpaid, but they are also encouraged to write less than serious articles. However, if articles such as “5 Reasons Khloé Will Be The Best Kardashian Mom,” “If You Flirt With My Boyfriend, Chances Are I Hate You,” “Growing Up White Taught Me So Much About Racism,” or the informative and quickly taken down “I Learned More In A Frat House Than I Did In A Classroom” seem impactful and worth putting on a resume, by all means, apply to The Odyssey.
Conversely, if real journalism is the desire, apply for The New York Times’ The Edit, which is specifically for college students. Or try a school’s student-run newspaper like The Reflector, where you are expected to write cohesive and clever articles, and are treated with respect.