Clickbait: version 2.0 of the yellow press
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2024 5:33 am
The Internet did not invent sensational headlines . In a broad sense, so-called clickbait is the 2.0 version of yellow journalism. In the past, readers would go to a newsstand and be confronted with a number of headlines trying to catch their attention.
Crimes and incidents often became a way to attract readers' interest in order to generate more sales. Now these impacts have multiplied . Every day we are exposed to thousands of headlines cell phone number list when we browse the Internet and the logic that the media increasingly adhere to can be summed up in one phrase: “More visits, more money” . Journalism takes a backseat.
The quality of the content matters little when we talk about clickbait . There are many media outlets that limit themselves to casting the bait and hoping that Internet users click on the headline in question in order to obtain financial gain from those visits. Often, this interest is only a spark and barely lasts a couple of seconds (sometimes not even that), because the content does not offer anything more or because it has little to do with what was promised in the headline. Without a doubt, an effective formula for losing credibility and generating frustration in readers.
Ultimately, we have to admit that most digital readers are (we are) headline readers and, when they come across a news story, they scan rather than read its content. Attracting their attention for more than a few seconds requires an effort that many think is not worth it. A Chartbeat study three years ago revealed a revealing fact: 38% of readers abandon a news story or blog entry without reading a single line .
Crimes and incidents often became a way to attract readers' interest in order to generate more sales. Now these impacts have multiplied . Every day we are exposed to thousands of headlines cell phone number list when we browse the Internet and the logic that the media increasingly adhere to can be summed up in one phrase: “More visits, more money” . Journalism takes a backseat.
The quality of the content matters little when we talk about clickbait . There are many media outlets that limit themselves to casting the bait and hoping that Internet users click on the headline in question in order to obtain financial gain from those visits. Often, this interest is only a spark and barely lasts a couple of seconds (sometimes not even that), because the content does not offer anything more or because it has little to do with what was promised in the headline. Without a doubt, an effective formula for losing credibility and generating frustration in readers.
Ultimately, we have to admit that most digital readers are (we are) headline readers and, when they come across a news story, they scan rather than read its content. Attracting their attention for more than a few seconds requires an effort that many think is not worth it. A Chartbeat study three years ago revealed a revealing fact: 38% of readers abandon a news story or blog entry without reading a single line .