An article about the Dow Jones being down 60 more points is going to be less appealing than a heroic boy’s last words. Articles with headlines like “This Amazing Kid Dead. What He Left Behind is Wondtacular” and “He loves Beatles, menthol cigs, and longs for muscles like Van Damme” are going to get more pageviews because they are simply more enticing than reading about yet another recession. At the end of a long day of work or school, people want to sit back and watch a dog ride a skateboard or read something that will amuse them. Clickbait provides this.
As Brooke Gladstone aptly put it, people want to be able to digest their news like “Jell-O shots:” quickly and easily. Why is that a problem? If clickbait is what they want to read, then what is the issue? There will always be news outlets like CNN and BBC that will report on what might be considered the “hard news.” Journalism is and has always been something that people can sit down and relax with; if people want to relax with something less substantive than the growing disparity between the upper and lower class, is that something they should feel guilty about? I don’t think so.
Clickbait is successful. Good clickbait articles get upwards of millions of pageviews, which means more revenue for the company. Clickbait is simply journalists catering to their audience’s desires, and there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, journalists all have this common goal: to cater to their audience. That’s how stories get shared and read. Clickbait is just a different way of doing that. Just because it’s different doesn’t detract from its value.
Buzzfeed, especially, has achieved a lot of success because of their capitalization on what people want. People love reading lists; and lo and behold, Buzzfeed articles are full of lists.
This isn’t to say that clickbait cannot serve a nobler, or even humanitarian, purpose. In fact, when video footage came out of some kids making fun of a bus attendant, that video went viral. Tons of clickbait articles came out recounting the story. Millions of people empathized with the bus attendant – so much so that enough money was raised for her to retire. Undoubtedly, clickbait helped many people realize that bullying doesn't just occur between kids.
The prevalence of clickbait doesn’t deter fans of “hard” journalism. It still exists. People still seek it out. Companies like CNN, BBC, and NPR aren’t likely to go out of business just because some article from Upworthy is being shared on Facebook. There are merits to both clickbait and “hard” journalism, and both can exist in harmony without there being an issue.
Clickbait isn’t a problem; it’s just what the people want.
photo courtesy of seriouslysimplemarketing.com
As Brooke Gladstone aptly put it, people want to be able to digest their news like “Jell-O shots:” quickly and easily. Why is that a problem? If clickbait is what they want to read, then what is the issue? There will always be news outlets like CNN and BBC that will report on what might be considered the “hard news.” Journalism is and has always been something that people can sit down and relax with; if people want to relax with something less substantive than the growing disparity between the upper and lower class, is that something they should feel guilty about? I don’t think so.
Clickbait is successful. Good clickbait articles get upwards of millions of pageviews, which means more revenue for the company. Clickbait is simply journalists catering to their audience’s desires, and there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, journalists all have this common goal: to cater to their audience. That’s how stories get shared and read. Clickbait is just a different way of doing that. Just because it’s different doesn’t detract from its value.
Buzzfeed, especially, has achieved a lot of success because of their capitalization on what people want. People love reading lists; and lo and behold, Buzzfeed articles are full of lists.
This isn’t to say that clickbait cannot serve a nobler, or even humanitarian, purpose. In fact, when video footage came out of some kids making fun of a bus attendant, that video went viral. Tons of clickbait articles came out recounting the story. Millions of people empathized with the bus attendant – so much so that enough money was raised for her to retire. Undoubtedly, clickbait helped many people realize that bullying doesn't just occur between kids.
The prevalence of clickbait doesn’t deter fans of “hard” journalism. It still exists. People still seek it out. Companies like CNN, BBC, and NPR aren’t likely to go out of business just because some article from Upworthy is being shared on Facebook. There are merits to both clickbait and “hard” journalism, and both can exist in harmony without there being an issue.
Clickbait isn’t a problem; it’s just what the people want.
photo courtesy of seriouslysimplemarketing.com