Vol.14 No.1

are you reading this online?
Clickbait
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clickbait is a pejorative term for web content whose main goal is to get users to click on a link to go to a
certain webpage. Clickbait headlines typically aim to exploit the "curiosity gap," providing just enough
information to make readers curious, but not enough to satisfy their curiosity without clicking through to
the linked content.[1][2][3]
By Bernard Fuscola, Beliefnet.com
From a historical perspective, the techniques employed by clickbait authors can be considered derivative of
yellow journalism, which presented little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead used eye-catching
headlines that included exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism.[4][5] For sites
that thrive on thousands of click-throughs to content, many authors see the use of clickbait as a means to tap
into human psyche by crafting these eye-catching headlines.[6]
Why You Keep Falling For
Fake News
There is a strange thing that happens
anytime we see something published.
Intellectually we know, just because it’s
published, doesn’t mean it’s true. It just
means it’s published.
Yet, when we see something published,
we start to behave like someone who’s
never seen a newsreel before.
We’re in a trance.
There’s something about being
“published” that makes our common
sense go, “Bye, Felicia” and our lizard
brain takes over.
That lizard brain loves it some fake news.
Sensationalism, Fear Mongering,
Bombast…loves it.
This has been the case since for
centuries, which is why it’s a little
troubling that we’re only now becoming
concerned with “fake news.”
Fake news has been a thing since we
invented the printing press. And we keep
falling for it. Century after century after
century.
The good news about recurring patterns
is that you can break them. So, I’m going
to explain why you keep falling for fake
news so you can punch your lizard brain
in the face.
There are three reasons. Here we go:
Reason 1: Real news is boring.
If you liked real news, you’d be watching
CSPAN right now. But you’re not. Because
CSPAN is boring.
You’re already bored with your job and
your spouse and the drudgery of the 9-
to-5, why would you want to be bored
while you read the news?
You don’t.
You want to be entertained.
Is that not why you are here!?
If we don’t entertain you, you won’t click,
read, or watch what we produce. And if
you don’t click, read, or watch — then you
don’t get news (and we don’t get paid —
but that’s a topic for a different article).
If we can’t get your attention, you won’t
even get fake news, you get no news.
So we have to trick you. Like a dog.
Have you ever seen a dog take a pill?
No, you haven’t because they won’t do it.
Dogs are weird. If you want your dog to
take its medicine you have to hide it in
peanut butter.
Same thing with the news. Specifically
with what we call “headlines.” (lovingly
referred to as “click bait.”)
If I want to get your attention, I need to
bait you with headlines that make your
lizard brain go “WHAAAAT?! Tell me
more…[Click.]”
Otherwise, you’ll ignore me because
you’re busy and you don’t want to be
bored.
If I called this article “Intro to media
literacy” you’d be like, “meh, Mark as
read,” and move on with your day. Which
is why I had to bait you with something
interesting.
It’s also why I’m writing like I’m talking
to you instead of like an academic.
It’s so you pay attention.
(Ok fine, it’s also because I’m terrible at
writing like an academic.)
Right now, bombastic sensationalist
headlines are the only things you’re
paying attention to, so they’re going to
give you more of those until it stops
working.
Reason 2: You’re being framed.
Let’s say, your mom went to a fundraiser
to hear a speaker named Cathy.
When she calls you and recounts the
fundraiser, all she tells you about is who
was there and what they wore.
You conclude, “What a superficial
evening.”
Had you gotten the account from your
mom’s friend, Stacey, you’d have heard all
about Cathy’s tear-jerking speech on
human trafficking.
Both accounts are true.
No one is “lying” to you.
But by highlighting certain things and
downplaying others, each person is
34 WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | VOL.14 #1