I ramble about clickbait, more or less.
Storified by Capo · Mon, Sep 18 2017 06:20:32
How about, right away, we start off with an example of clickbait? At least, a more satirical example.
Clickbait - it's everywhere, and even more so if one is browsing without adblock. You might have seen them yourself: headlines such as "Diabetes Breakthrough Leaves Doctors Speechless (This Works - Try It Tonight)", which display a header image that in no way can be relevant to the article. You know, headlines and images that make you click them only to find out the headlines were a lie. I'm tired of them, and most certainly, you must be as well.
And, if the following tweets are any indication, clickbait is what the hip gamer kids today call "literally cancer".
I'm so tired of clickbait on youtube... via /r/Jokes https://t.co/RCyLwrIIhg
So you think clickbait is the only real way to get money? @DurvyYT
And then making money off of people who fell for clickbait when in reality to person lives ages away and is just expressing their feelings
So, just what is clickbait in a more proper definition? According to the Urban Dictionry, clickbait is "An eyecatching link on a website which encourages people to read on. It is often paid for by the advertiser ("Paid" click bait) or generates income based on the number of clicks." If you're seeking a definition from a more reputable source, the Merriam-Webster has you covered:
teen vogue's facebook posts are so problematic. a couple match their 'woke' twitter rep but 60% are unethical clickbait smh
It doesn't exactly look like the most trusting headline, does it? However, it's promising something enticing and using a very easy to remember phrase to catch your attention. Thus, wouldn't you want to see just why trainers hate him if it was true?
Though, with how people on the internet are, it's almost obvious that things are widespread as these would end up being made fun of with edits and parodies, as seen in the example below featuring the character Jotaro Kujo from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.
As one can tell, clickbait is practically lying to get attention, and this can be a problem when the clickbait headline promises things such as home remedies, important information on current topics, and the like. However, thankfully, clickbait is very easy to catch. Just look at the following image, and tell me if you would trust it:
However, visual clickbait is far easier to discern from journal headline clickbait - but not by much. Just make sure you're on a reputable website for journalism and you can easily avoid clickbait. Not to mention the previously mention adblock can purge these from your online experience.
You've got enough judgment to not fall for these things, if a headline or thumbnail looks suspicious or too good to be true, it most likely is.
