Clickbait has been around since the beginning of the Internet but the term itself is often misunderstood. There seems to be as many definitions as there are internet users. So, in my definition I include what I suspect are curiosity gaps or misleading headlines causing the reader to click to see a deceptive post. For example, “See the Amazing Largest Breasts in the World”! Well, it turns out that these are a stone sculpture found in a lost South American or Mayan site. So, there is just enough truth to justify the click, but very deceptive. But, if we click on that link, the writer has accomplished the desired result; more web traffic! (This can be contrasted with the term Rickrolling which is bait and switch).
But in fact, these deceptive practices extend far beyond the internet in both technology and time. P.T. Barnum recognized the curiosity gap as have other carnival hawkers. “Come into this tent and see the half-man half-ape”. Of course it is a very hairy man acting like an ape. Fortunately for them there was no Facebook or Twitter to show the world that it was deceptive. And, in TV back when, there was the famous “Don’t touch that dial” and now when they offer the tease. “When we come back after the break find out why this woman is dying”! The one area most abused is the weather report tease before the commercial. “The sun is shining now but serious changes are coming! Stay tuned”! Really? It must be important.
But there is a dilemma for those of us who post original content. We want people to read our posts, but we have to use some discretion in how we add the title. But, as trivial as this seems, it is important for two reasons. The first is what happens when the search engines crawl sites for inclusion and where they rank a post. If the title is obscure, we wind up on page 100. If the post has a catchy title, it may be better placed. If it is decidedly deceptive and provocative it may be on page one. If I had titled this entry as “Clickbait and the large breasts” it may have been a trending post. But, it would have been deceptive and I would eventually lose readers.
The second reason has more to do with integrity. When I have fallen for Clickbait I feel used and somewhat gullible. But, the curiosity gap can be a real siren song and the trap is set. So, how do we know when we are being led into Clickbait? The simple answer is that we really cannot be sure what a click will bring up for our pleasure/displeasure. Most site use the technique and patterns emerge that suggests that we are being played. I tend to think that fighting the curiosity factor is the key to not going down the rabbit hole. I really don’t care what next disaster will happen if I fail to clink on that link…
But in fact, these deceptive practices extend far beyond the internet in both technology and time. P.T. Barnum recognized the curiosity gap as have other carnival hawkers. “Come into this tent and see the half-man half-ape”. Of course it is a very hairy man acting like an ape. Fortunately for them there was no Facebook or Twitter to show the world that it was deceptive. And, in TV back when, there was the famous “Don’t touch that dial” and now when they offer the tease. “When we come back after the break find out why this woman is dying”! The one area most abused is the weather report tease before the commercial. “The sun is shining now but serious changes are coming! Stay tuned”! Really? It must be important.
But there is a dilemma for those of us who post original content. We want people to read our posts, but we have to use some discretion in how we add the title. But, as trivial as this seems, it is important for two reasons. The first is what happens when the search engines crawl sites for inclusion and where they rank a post. If the title is obscure, we wind up on page 100. If the post has a catchy title, it may be better placed. If it is decidedly deceptive and provocative it may be on page one. If I had titled this entry as “Clickbait and the large breasts” it may have been a trending post. But, it would have been deceptive and I would eventually lose readers.
The second reason has more to do with integrity. When I have fallen for Clickbait I feel used and somewhat gullible. But, the curiosity gap can be a real siren song and the trap is set. So, how do we know when we are being led into Clickbait? The simple answer is that we really cannot be sure what a click will bring up for our pleasure/displeasure. Most site use the technique and patterns emerge that suggests that we are being played. I tend to think that fighting the curiosity factor is the key to not going down the rabbit hole. I really don’t care what next disaster will happen if I fail to clink on that link…
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