Clickbait

In journalism, clickbait refers to headlines on online content that entice readers to click on a link to a story. Online news and commentary websites rely on clickbait to drive up the number of clicks on their articles, thereby increasing traffic to their sites and attracting advertisers. On the internet, clickbait can also refer to advertisements and links, which are often geared toward a specific consumer, that show up on a feed or sidebar.

Clickbait headlines are often provocative, written to arouse curiosity or stir outrage. The headlines attempt to lure readers through forward referencing, suspenseful wording, and the use of images. The term has taken on a negative connotation. Readers may feel manipulated after clicking on stories that overdramatize events, mischaracterize content, or advertise products.

Overview

Websites use clickbait to promote content that readers can share across social media platforms, generating instant clicks. The content may include news articles, think pieces, quizzes, viral videos, or advertisements. Clickbait exists in many different forms.

Mashable and Buzzfeed are early examples of websites creating and curating online content that is widely shared on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X, formerly known as Twitter. Readers often share content from Mashable and Buzzfeed because it provides entertainment; this sort of clickbait is sometimes informally called “sharebait.” Buzzfeed’s quizzes are a popular draw. In 2022, the quizzes received over 1.1 billion views worldwide.

Other kinds of clickbait appeal to people’s inquisitive nature; they grab readers’ attention by using forward referencing, which includes phrases such as “You won’t believe what happens next.” Upworthy, another content-curating website, gained notice by using this type of headlines, which may mix in pronouns to add a mysterious slant. An example is the headline of the site’s 2013 article, “Calling Them ‘Girls’ Was Their First Mistake. What Happened Next Is a Great Moment in Fierceness.” The practice, sometimes known as “curiosity bait,” spread to other sites.

Curiosity bait can let down readers if “what happens next” in the story fails to surprise them or sensationalizes the news. According to the Washington Post, news source CNN has come under fire for using the technique. In 2014, the network sent the following tweet on Twitter about one of its articles: “14-year-old girl stabbed her little sister 40 times, police say. The reason why will shock you.” Many readers thought the network’s promotional tactic was in poor taste.

“Trickbait”, referring to misleading headlines, is used by websites that do not produce their own content to encourage people to click on their links. Trickbait often appears as a grid of stories, often called “sponsored content” or “promoted stories,” at the bottom of legitimate news websites. The strategy is called trickbait because the sponsored stories can be mistaken for those of the news site. Visual trickbait refers to a story that appears in the “sponsored” grid accompanied by a photo that has no connection whatsoever to the article. The image misleads readers into clicking on the link.

As the internet and technology have progressed, new forms of clickbait have gained traction. Deepfakes, with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithms, have made it possible for creators to doctor images, dub voices, and create fake content. Often, this content is meant to rouse the masses or sensationalize a fictional event or occurrence. An innocuous example was when content creator and visual effects artist Chris Umé created videos that seemed to feature American actor Tom Cruise. The videos, which went viral on TikTok, were not actually Cruise but instead featured a stand-in actor. Umé used AI and deepfake technology to impersonate Cruise. However, more nefarious uses for the technology have attempted to cause election interference and spread misinformation by creating videos, images, and audio files of candidates that are not real. These media typically smear the politician and are meant to go viral and spread quickly in order to influence voters. In 2025, the United States enacted the TAKE IT DOWN Act, requiring platforms to remove nonconsensual and harmful AI deepfake content.

Backlash is growing over the use of clickbait. Readers have expressed frustration when articles do not deliver the content they promised. In response, Facebook announced in 2014 that it would crack down on stories fronted by clickbait headlines and later updated its policies in 2017. In 2015, Upworthy announced that it would stop using clickbait and instead produce original stories. Other companies and platforms, like Google, have created policies and programs, such as automated algorithms, to help consumers avoid clickbait and to rid their platforms of such content. Google also updated its Discover feed algorithm to reduce clickbait and elevate locally relevant, high-quality news content.

Bibliography

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