Stockton: “Clickbait” is a term used on the internet to describe titles of articles or videos that might increase the chances of someone reading or watching the video or article by exaggerating the importance of what is being presented. The term “clickbait” was first coined by journalist Jay Geiger in a blog post. However, the action of baiting people into buying an article or paper can be traced back as long as newspapers have been around. Although buyers didn’t do any “clicking,” they were still persuaded into buying something because of an eye-catching headline or picture.
Today, the word “Clickbait” means content whose main purpose is to attract attention and encourage visitors to click on a link to a particular web page. The term was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in December of 2016. You may have heard the term being used by YouTubers that you know describing other YouTubers. On YouTube, clickbait would be if a video creator were to put a misleading thumbnail or title on their video to get more people to click on their video. This would then give them watch time leading to ads on their videos for them to earn money. There’s a very likely chance that you have been clickbaited in the past, since it is a very easy thing to fall into. In this high-tech world, people are on the internet more than ever before. Knowing this, creators try everything to get as many of those people as possible to watch their stuff to then in turn earn money.
Now, there is a question. Is clickbait an issue? In today’s tech-heavy world, clickbait is viewed as a big issue in the world of the internet. Creators using clickbait shows that creators today are more concerned with how many views they are getting on their content rather than the actual quality of what they are making. Their main priorities are driving advertisers to promote their products on their content to then make profit. If people continue to make this a bigger issue, it will be hard to find genuine content on the internet in the future. However, some argue that the content behind clickbait is valuable. It may not be inherently bad, but it’s still considered a manipulative tactic.
All in all, clickbait is a manipulative tactic used in the media today to get consumers to view their content. When implemented ethically and thoughtfully, clickbait can serve as a powerful and interesting tool for content creators to reach and engage people who are passing by their articles on the internet or newspapers on the side of the road. By understanding the psychology behind clickbait, creating compelling headlines and thumbnails, and prioritizing the delivery of their content, creators can use the art of clickbait to drive the engagement of their creations.