Click bait websites are notorious for their sensationalized headlines and misleading content. They can be incredibly persuasive, luring us in with promises of exclusive deals or shocking revelations.
The problem is, these websites often use manipulative tactics to get us to click, including using our personal data to tailor ads and content to our interests. This can lead to a vicious cycle of addiction and exploitation.
For example, a study found that 75% of people who click on click bait headlines will continue to visit the website, even if the content doesn't live up to the promise. This can lead to a significant waste of time and mental energy.
Click bait websites are not just a nuisance, they can also be a serious threat to our online security. By clicking on suspicious links or downloading malware, we can put ourselves at risk of identity theft and other cyber attacks.
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Click Bait Websites
Clickbait websites have become a staple of the online landscape, with some sites reaching nearly 90 million people each month. Upworthy, a website that pioneered the clickbait model, was reaching nearly 90 million people each and every month until its decline started in November 2013.
Clickbait websites use a technique called the "Upworthy headline", which conceals the topic of a story until you click on it. This creates a curiosity gap, leaving something potentially important unknown, and can be incredibly powerful.
Some examples of clickbait headlines include:
- She dragged her plate across the pool. What happened next blew my mind
- When you read these 19 shocking food facts, you'll never want to eat again
- He thought it was Bigfoot's skull, but then experts told him THIS
- 87 yr old trainer shares secret to losing weight
These headlines are designed to inspire engagement and commentary, but can also have a bad reputation if they consistently overpromise and under-deliver.
What Are Click Bait Websites
Click bait websites are designed to trick users into clicking on their links by using misleading or sensational headlines. These headlines often make false or exaggerated claims to grab attention.
They're usually found on websites that prioritize advertising revenue over providing quality content. Click bait websites can be frustrating to navigate.
Their sole purpose is to generate traffic and increase ad revenue, regardless of the content's value. This can lead to a poor user experience.
Some click bait websites are even known to use auto-play videos or pop-up ads to further disrupt the user experience.
Check this out: Click Tracking
How They Work
Clickbait websites are masters of psychological manipulation, and it all starts with the "Upworthy headline" that conceals the topic until you click.
The curiosity gap is a powerful tool, leaving us with a sense of uncertainty about what's unknown.
This mental effect tricks our brains into thinking that the unknown information is potentially important.
The curiosity gap is not just a clever trick, it's a deliberate design choice that creates a mini-whirlpool of intrigue.
The Upworthy website, for example, was reaching nearly 90 million people each month before its decline in 2013, a testament to the effectiveness of this strategy.
The brain processes clickbait as an interruption rather than a task, making it hard to resist the urge to click and find out what's hidden.
Bad Examples of Click Bait
Clickbait has become a dominant force on the web, but some examples are more eye-catching than others. Here are some examples of clickbait that might make you roll your eyes.
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1. She dragged her plate across the pool. What happened next blew my mind. This example is a classic clickbait headline that tries to entice readers with a vague and sensational claim.
Bad clickbait often relies on sensationalism and exaggeration. The goal is to get you to click without delivering on the promise of the headline.
2. When you read these 19 shocking food facts, you'll never want to eat again. This example is another attempt to entice readers with a promise of shocking information, but it's likely just a list of mildly interesting facts.
3. He thought it was Bigfoot's skull, but then experts told him THIS. This example is a variation on the "you won't believe what happened next" theme, but it's just a cheap trick to get you to click.
4. 87 yr old trainer shares secret to losing weight. This example is a more subtle form of clickbait, using a promise of useful information to lure readers in.
Some examples of bad clickbait are listed below:
- She dragged her plate across the pool. What happened next blew my mind
- When you read these 19 shocking food facts, you'll never want to eat again
- He thought it was Bigfoot's skull, but then experts told him THIS
- 87 yr old trainer shares secret to losing weight
Why People Fall for Click Bait
People are gullible, and it's sad but true. Most of us click links online, even when we know they're likely to be nonsense.
The curiosity gap is a big secret to how clickbait works on the brain. It's the space between what we know and what we want to know, and it's incredibly powerful.
We tend to think of clickbait as an interruption rather than a task, but that's not how the brain sees it. The mental effect of these headlines is to leave something potentially important unknown.
Clickbait headlines are designed to stimulate our curiosity and elicit strong feelings in us, which motivates us to click through and interact with the material. They frequently play on feelings of comedy, terror, surprise, intrigue, and exclusivity to convey a sense of urgency.
Readers click through because they're afraid they'll miss out on important information, and clickbait also serves to validate our preexisting opinions or biases.
See what others are reading: Why Website Audit Is Important
Consequences of Click Bait
Falling for clickbait can lead to a reduction in critical thinking. This is because clickbait headlines often mislead readers, causing them to spend time on inaccurate or misleading content.
Misinformation is a major consequence of clickbait, as these headlines frequently exaggerate or mislead the content they link to. This can have serious consequences, especially if readers act on the misinformation.
Lost time is another outcome of clickbait, as readers waste time on sensational but inaccurate content. This can be frustrating, especially if readers are looking for reliable information.
Disappointment is also a common outcome of clickbait, as readers expect to find valuable information but instead find something misleading or inaccurate. This can lead to mistrust of the media and the internet in general.
Clickbait culture is a vicious cycle that undercuts attempts to promote more reliable and educational content online. Sensationalism and engagement metrics take precedence over accuracy and quality in content creation.
Readers must approach internet content with critical thinking and discernment, assessing the reliability and applicability of the material before making decisions or acting based on attention-grabbing headlines.
Related reading: Planning Website Content
Identifying and Protecting Against Click Bait
Clickbait headlines often employ sensational language, exaggeration, or promises of extraordinary outcomes to grab attention.
Phrases like "you won't believe", "shocking reveal", or "unbelievable" are common indicators of clickbait. These headlines prioritize generating clicks over providing accurate or substantial information.
Use browser plugins like "B.S. Detector" or "NewsGuard" to highlight possibly unreliable content and steer clear of misleading websites and content.
Tools to Spot Click Bait
Browser plugins like "B.S. Detector" and "NewsGuard" can help highlight possibly unreliable content and steer you clear of misleading websites and content.
Phrases like "you won't believe", "shocking reveal", or "unbelievable" in headlines are common indicators of clickbait.
Using fact-checking resources like PolitiFact, FactCheck.org, and Snopes can ensure that statements made in headlines or stories are accurate.
Choose reliable news sources over clickbait ones, as they are more likely to be honest and truthful.
Enrolling in online courses on media literacy and critical thinking can improve your ability to evaluate internet content.
Tailor your social media settings to exclude postings from accounts that are known to share clickbait content or from untrustworthy sources.
Examining user reviews can help determine the legitimacy, value, and applicability of content before clicking on it.
Protecting Against Social Media Scams
Social media can be a great source of entertainment or a way to connect with family and friends, but it also comes with inherent risks.
Clickbait articles are notorious for leading to various bogus offers or worse. Tech support scammers are well aware of how to target certain demographics, such as seniors, and lure them in via deceiving Facebook posts.
Inadvertently sharing links with contacts can quickly make promoted posts go viral. You can safely close pop-ups and be back up and running quickly, even if your computer screen becomes hijacked by a stern audio recording.
Malwarebytes Browser Guard is able to protect against these attacks flawlessly, no matter how many times the fraudsters swap Google Cloud Run URLs.
Best Practices for Creating Effective Headlines
Your headline is everything, especially on clickbait websites like Buzzfeed that aim to generate page views and ad revenue.
Clickbait headlines typically tell you exactly what you're about to see, with just enough of a tease at the end to intrigue you into clicking.
Unlike traditional headline writing, clickbait headlines don't need to be short, snappy, witty, or clever. They're designed to get you to click, no matter what.
The way most clickbait sites work is designed to maximise on the setup of social networking sites, where you can view other users' activity and get a sense of what's popular.
To create effective headlines, focus on telling readers exactly what they'll get, rather than trying to be clever or catchy.
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