So many times I’ve been surfing social networking sites and stumbled on a tantalizing article titled something like “9 easy ways to make money fast.” Articles like these are enticing because they provoke me to want to click and read. When I’m done with reading the article I feel let down because I really didn’t learn anything, I just wasted time.
Articles like these are everywhere because they’re an easy way for companies to draw traffic and audiences to advertising sites. Typically they offer little to no useful information and many times incorrectly report news stories only to incite some type of response. Clickbait articles like these have become so mainstream most of us believe them to be factual news reports.
Days after our presidential election I was surfing Facebook and read an article on a friend’s page. The article was accompanied by a video that showed several men fighting another man over an alleged car accident. Everyone on Facebook who responded took the side of the single man even though the article’s author only interviewed one person.
During the election season I was amazed how many people commented on articles designed to sensationalize a particular candidate’s stance. Based on comments, many readers accepted the articles as fact. Few readers sifted through the words and fact checked the authors only to point out obvious flaws with the article.
Clickbait can be written for many reasons, the most common is to increase ad revenue for websites. Years ago there were only a handful of companies creating web based tabloid type journalism. Today there are hundreds. Clickbait articles have become so mainstream that respected reporting agencies have been relying on it to draw readers to their sites.
Because of computers, it’s easy for anyone to write an article and have it picked up by one of the clickbait generators. Article copy can be purchased for next to nothing and given a snappy title to attract readers. Combine the article and title with advertisements and redirects and a short commentary can generate many dollars for advertisers.
During my research on this article I stumbled across some documentation that suggests clickbait is popular because readers don’t have to think. Short articles about nothing actually attract readers to click and follow the link. Although most articles leave the reader in disbelief, something psychological happens that makes them believe the article is somewhat factual.
Another bit of interesting research showed that clickbait has contributed to decreased sales of print publications. People reported getting their news from social media sites like Facebook, even though Facebook doesn’t publish articles. Rather than read an article and accept it as entertainment, adult readers are substituting the content for actual news.
Several years ago websites like Facebook announced they would introduce algorithms designed to reduce clickbait. My understanding is the effects of blocking and preventing clickbait were overtaken by the large number of clickbait creators and ever changing methods of content delivery. One scroll down my Facebook page illustrates how ineffective clickbait enforcement has been on that site.
Some articles are so enticing it’s almost more difficult not to click on them. Ways to make it rich, get the girl of my dreams, political scandals and all sorts of other crazy stuff spread over so many genres it’s impossible not to click on them. Next time you’re reading an alluring article online, remember that it may not be factual. I may name this article “Clickbait, 7 surprising facts every internet user must know” and post of on Facebook.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can read past articles at www.LocalComputerWiz.com.)