How To Make Sense of Clickbait
What do these headlines reveal about us?
I joined Medium about a month ago and have noticed one inescapable reality of writing on the Internet: clickbait titles sell.
Yet, as I’ve clicked into many catchy sounding articles promising all sorts of revelations, I’ve noticed another thing: I forget everything I just read almost immediately after closing the tab on my browser.
So much of the writing on the Internet is devoid of actual life-changing wisdom. Yes, there are many touching personal stories and pieces of advice that contain some universal relatability which are quite enjoyable to read (and write!). Unfortunately, there are plenty more pieces that make empty promises about changing your life.
The more time I spend on Medium, the more I wonder what is behind these click-bait headlines that make them, well, bait. What does the popularity of certain types of articles say about what people are yearning for?
I am not going to tell you that I’m an expert on this topic. I am simply offering my opinion based on what I have observed on this platform.
Here are the 5 things I’ve noticed:
1. We are curious.
It doesn’t take long to see our natural curiosity about the world around us shine through in written work. We want to learn and explore and read about topics that are often beyond the scope of our everyday lives. Curiosity drives development and deepens our understanding of the world and ourselves.
2. We innately want to improve ourselves.
The tags of “Self Improvement” and “Personal Development” and the likes of them are extremely common and well-followed on Medium. Many publications focus on the topic of self-improvement because that’s what we want to read about and that’s what we want to write about. No one ever wants to stagnate or slip backward personally or professionally. We all want to be better. Why is that?
3. We desire simplicity.
One of the first pieces of advice I got on Medium was to use a headline analyzer to ensure the titles of my articles would attract the most reads. Through the trial-and-error process of titling my articles, I found very quickly that people want clarity and simplicity. We want to be able to take a complex topic and turn it into a basic “How To” or listicle. In writing and reading these types of articles, I find that it’s quite challenging to be comprehensive in explaining a concept with only a couple of points. Yet, these articles are the most prevalent on the platform.
It seems to me that in a very complicated world, we want some things to just be easy. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that all successful people have these 3 traits and that there was a 5 step process to become just like them? While some “How To” articles provide valuable insights, many I find offer empty promises that are difficult to act upon.
4. We value expediency.
We all love the idea of a quick fix. Make more money, get in shape, be a better human being in only 28 days! These types of articles pop up all the time as a way to draw you in. Many businesses exist because of the quick fix principle. Expediency sells. We like the idea that whatever problem we are having could be solved swiftly and allow us to move on with our lives. In my experience, a quick fix rarely lasts and often takes away from the learning and growth we may have otherwise experienced by confronting a trial or challenge. Why does waiting seem like such a burden to us now?
5. We often avoid big questions.
Human wisdom only takes us so far. There are big questions about life — where we came from, where we are going — that often get left out of the conversation. Is this because we are afraid of what the answer might be? Is this because we have assumed what the answer is and don’t want to be challenged on it? Whatever the reason, we should strive to go beyond surface-level questions once in a while and see what we might find.
The Medium platform is a powerful one where ideas and opinions can be expressed and I have truly enjoyed participating in it. Ultimately, we are all writing on this platform to provoke thought in our audience. I ask myself and invite you to ask the same: What stories do you want to tell and why do you want to tell them?
