Please Read My Post, I’m Desperate
That’s how most clickbait articles come across, right? Yet they’re still published and getting an incredible readership. With multi-million dollar corporations like Buzzfeed and more local ventures like Narcity publishing multiple clickbait articles a day, where do we draw the line between compelling, engaging, and thoughtful content versus content designed to attract the largest number of readers? Can clickbait also be compelling? To me, the answer is that it depends on what your personal definition of compelling is. First, let’s take a look at a more objective definition:
“Evoking interest.” “Captivating.” “Not able to be resisted.” Couldn’t we say clickbait is inherently all of those things?
Where the difference between the two lies, in my opinion, is the bounce rate. Clickbait might get us onto a website (and believe me, I’m just as much a victim of it as the next person), but what makes us stay? It’s the content. While clickbait can be easily attractive, the articles that we’re lead to are often very short and boring. Just this morning, I went on to Snapchat and clicked on Refinery29’s story, with the clickbait title “Your Next Haircut According To Your Sign.” I’m a sucker for astrology-related clickbait, so I went ahead. While some of the star signs had cool styles, none of them really stood out to me. They were pretty basic; styles that I had definitely seen before. My suggested style was almost exactly what I have now. It took me all of thirty seconds to get on and off of that story, but that’s how clickbait is designed.
Compelling content brings you deeper. It makes you do more than just skim the surface; you’re enticed to read further into the ideas being presented and maybe even to share. This type of content may inherently be more meaningful. While “12 Places You Need to See in Europe Before You Die” may help you plan your next backpacking adventure, I doubt you’d stick around on that website more than a minute. Think about it — smart fish avoid the bait.
Where do the two overlap? Well, in 2017, I think any article with “Donald Trump” in the title has become clickbait. We are instantly drawn to this political issue as it has become a unifier for both lovers and haters of the demagogue (can you tell where I stand?). However, the content within the articles could still be compelling, thought-provoking, and insightful. Or, it could present breaking news. Things that are actually important and relevant as opposed to a way to get more readers, though it might kill two birds with one stone.
All in all, I think the line between clickbait and compelling content is incredibly blurry, especially in a world where BuzzFeed can interview presidents and is considered a news source. As consumers, I think it is ultimately our responsibility to decide for ourselves what is worth while to read. While it is easy to get sucked in to the scam, we must try our best to distinguish the two in order to remain well-informed and educated consumers (though the Onion articles never hurt either).
