| > "clickbaits are more than logical." You're saying clickbait not only makes sense, but is profitable beyond merely representing the content. I'm not with you, sorry. Clickbaiting ensures crappy content is rewarded. "World's best coffee" sign over the door will ensure the shop remains in business a little longer, but who benefits from that? Customers? No. The coffee shop owner who uses 3 month old beans and overheats the milk. Titles have an obvious purpose other than to "bait" with emotion and suspense. Lines such as "you'll never guess what happens next" don't represent the content. It's a craptastic headline with inflated claims. While the definition of clickbait varies depending who you ask, a point comes when a title becomes disingenuous and inaccurate, cheesy and desperate. This causes me to lose a little respect for the author or site. Bit by bit I lose respect until eventually I don't return. Consider "8 things you didn't know about cats". The title makes an unnecessary reference to me the reader, claiming I won't know the information within. Secondly, we all know most listicles contain at least one or two gems - the best items in the list. It's these items which would be best alluded to in the title rather than relying on me clicking in hopes of discovering gems. If the list is boring without any gems, clickbait is the least of the site's problems. |