The Guinness World Records has declined in quality in recent years, shifting from fun facts about humans and the world, to other marketing strategies for businesses. A shift from education with engaging information to a flood of trivial, repetitive, and unoriginal ideas. It is right for things to move forward and adapt to the changing times, but it seems like Guinness had traded too much for its popularity.

Let’s first talk about the growing trend of trivial world records. The main question to ask is the following: should extremely unique world records—so unique that they haven’t even been thought of before—be called world records at all? After all, discovering a new type of insect might grant you recognition in the animal field, but it definitely won’t give you a GWR. So, why should records like the largest building in the shape of a chicken, named Manok ni Cano, located in the Philippines, be awarded with an equally specific record? I do understand that many things have their own cultural significance, such as the chicken building being a symbol recognizing the gamefowl industry in the Philippines, but that doesn’t justify it being honored with world records in any way. My reason is this: there is barely, if at all, any global competition for the “largest building in the shape of a chicken” anywhere else. Something shouldn’t be compared and ranked just on the basis on which it was formed, as this discourages any incentive for competition. Sometimes, it seems like Guinness World Records are forcing their content, prioritizing filling the book pages up with items no one is likely to attempt, instead of being scrupulous and picking topics their audience could relate to. The reader’s engagement and interest are another big aspect.

Classic records that used to be interesting are now getting boring, and I don’t blame the book publishers for this, because that is just how trends get as time goes on. By classic records, I am referring to topics like “the oldest person alive” or “tallest human ever.” These old topics, although interesting, solely rely on numbers that, when occasionally broken, only increase by tiny fragments. A tall person might break the previous height record by an inch and appear in every Guinness World Record book until someone breaks their height only a slight amount. To the book publishers, keeping these records going is almost like keeping a tradition alive, but these traditions do not hook the reader’s frequent occurrence in books over time. 

Because of avoidable and unavoidable factors, the contemporary Guinness World Records cannot return to how it was when they first created it. It is uncertain for us to see a change in the right direction when it is caught between modern and traditional ways.