clickbait

thumb|right|upright=1.35|Fictional examples of "chumbox" style adverts, employing common clickbait tactics of using an information gap to encourage reader curiosity, and promising easy-to-read numbered lists

AI overview

Clickbait refers to headlines and advertisements designed to exploit curiosity by creating an information gap—making readers want to click to find out more—often through tactics like promising numbered lists or sensational claims. It matters because these tactics prioritize getting clicks over providing accurate or substantive information, potentially misleading audiences and degrading the quality of content they encounter.

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Image: Example clickbait adverts (cropped).jpg

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Commons category: Clickbait

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7 sections

Contents

Definition
Background
Use
Backlash
See also
References
External links

Clickbait (also known as link bait or linkbait) is a text or a thumbnail link that is designed to attract attention and to entice users to follow ("click") that link and view, read, stream or listen to the linked piece of online content, being typically deceptive, sensationalized, or otherwise misleading. A "teaser" aims to exploit the "curiosity gap", providing just enough information to make readers of news websites curious, but not enough to satisfy their curiosity without clicking through to the linked content. Clickbait headlines often add an element of dishonesty, using enticements that do not accurately reflect the content being delivered. The -bait suffix makes an analogy with fishing, where a hook is disguised by an enticement (bait), presenting the impression to the fish that it is a desirable thing to swallow.