7 WAYS TO BEAT WINTER

Source: Hotel-R

I'll admit, I don't know seven ways to beat winter, but if the title of my blog peaked your interest and got you to click, then the real topic of my blog applies to you.

What topic might that be? I'm talking about clickbait of course!

Even sharks know better than to bite at this stuff.      Source: CartoonsByJim

So, what is clickbait? A quick Google search will net you this result:

Clickbait: (on the Internet) content whose main purpose is to attract attention and encourage visitors to click on a link to a particular page.

As you may have noticed through the title of my blog, just because the title of a page has certain keywords or phrases, this does not mean the corresponding article will contain them. 

There are plenty of news organizations that put out real, hard-hitting news, but there are just as many - if not more - independent media outlets (e.g, Facebook page, Twitter account, etc...) who promote the aforementioned clickbait.

All 'bait and no play makes Jack a dull boy.     Source: ReactionGIFs.com

At the end of the day we as consumers must remember that these media outlets - independent or otherwise - are businesses. They generate revenue when people are looking at their content. As such, the more traffic they can generate, the better.

The headlines are designed to pull on our heartstrings and strike us where we are vulnerable. Sometimes, the headlines are accompanied by a cute or gruesome image, whatever fits the story.

It should come as no surprise then, that during Valentine's Day Week - is that a thing now? - our social media feeds may become cluttered with clickbait titles such as "21 Ways to Make Him/Her Like You" or "10 Reasons You're Single on Valentine's Day." Next month, it will be something entirely different.

Does traditional journalism risk fading into obscurity due to this? Personally, I don't think so. There will always be a demand to know what's happening in our communities and the world around us. Whether that news source comes from the left, the right or both, is undeterminable, but the demand will always exist.

Bottom line, clickbait is effective. More importantly, it's here to stay so we best get used to it. We may never be able to rid ourselves of it completely, but equipping ourselves with the knowledge to make informed decisions on the media we consume is crucial to defending ourselves against it.

Hopefully this blog makes you think twice about what you want to click on and what you choose to pass up. Remember, there's a boatload of quality content available on the web, you just have to find it!