I know you don't like lists, but I think they have several powerful effects. Yes I know I am writing a list, har har.
1: They tell you about how long the article is going to be. If it's "The 5 coolest" as opposed to "25 most influential" right there you know one of those two things can be absorbed in just a few minutes. For some people that makes all the difference in the world.
2: It's akin to a sampler platter at a restaurant. You get some quick fire points succinctly put, and that's how most humans *love* their reading. Of course there are some people who want a careful theoretical framework built upon, but there's far more people who are being trained to expect content short and to the point.
3: People can be relied on to want to read, "The secret stuff those people you admire don't want you to know because it's the only thing keeping them on their pedestal." Think how many books are sold with that premise. Condensing it further into a quick to read 1-2 page format is powerful stuff. It's why sites like Cracked and Buzzfeed are so phenomenal in terms of readers.
Ultimately I think it's bad when everything (meaning all articles) are this way, but I see it much like bait that lures readers into returning, and perhaps reading the more intricate writings an author has put out. Much like a short story can lead to somebody buying an author's novel.
