Since the dawn of time, humans have always desired to make their lives easier. Through inventions and techniques, we have found some of the simplest methods of doing things. In the modern world — especially across social media — there has been a new wave of videos, tutorials, and books centered around life hacks. Life hacks are designed to instruct one on how to perform daily tasks in the most efficient way possible. Though helpful and informative in theory, some of these life hacks have gotten out of hand.

In this video produced by Top Trending, 10 different life hacks are shown, many often involving more time and more energy than it saves. In the second one, the video suggests that when you have many ingredients yet still don’t know what to make, that by putting all your ingredients into My Fridge Food, a website that will create recipes utilizing what you have on hand. This may seem useful, but the actual time needed to log all the items in your fridge would be counterproductive.

The rage for life hacks has become so intense that the broadcasting network TruTv has aired a show called “Hack My Life” since January 2015. One review on IMDb gave the show a 3 out of 10 star rating, synopsizing the show in this quote: “Impress your date by bringing surgical masks to the movies. Yes, that really happens in this show. […] Use trash bags, in public, for several different purposes. Sure, that won’t make you look like you married your cousin. You might be able to use 5 percent of the hacks in actual scenarios, but even that is being fair. This show simply does not help the average person, which is what I was hoping it would do.”

The disparity between real life and entertainment when it comes to life hacks is growing. As more people watch for the ridiculousness factor, more companies and entertainment networks are cashing in. Even the popular entertainment show, The List, has an entire section on their website devoted to life hacks. They often state that they will “save you money,” or that “everyone should know” and will “change your life.”

This system of bandwagon persuasion is what has made life hacks so attractive. There are life hacks for every demographic and every age. Yet, their most popular target is millenials. This one is for those looking to achieve success, another for those short on cash, and there is even one for millionaires.

There’s a reason for their fame; life hacks truly can be as helpful as they claim. Even though their fluidity may be one of their crude marketing tactics, it also is a huge reason for their success. For this reason, they’re still worth listening to, though one should be wary of the real benefits and advantages of a life hack before attempting it. When it comes to the human desire to complete things as quickly as possible, you’re better off doing it that way you always have.