What is Clickbait?

[(PSN)chubbslawson]

I keep seeing people use the word clickbait. What does that mean

Edited April 26, 2017 by Letter13
Edited title to be less clickbait-y. SO META.

[CeePee]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clickbait

[Madway7]

Basically in here it's threads with misleading titles that are made that way to get attention.

[ShadowStalker]

content whose main purpose is to attract attention and encourage visitors to click on a link to a particular web page.(in this case thereads with tiltes that dont match the content)

 

Edited April 26, 2017 by ShadowStalker

[Naftal]

It also means threads like this one, where the title doesn't explain what the thread is about, forcing people to click before they know.

[Azure.Fang]

Normally I'd explain by telling you to look up "Clickbait" by S3RL on Youtube, but @CeePeealready gave the best answer.

[Mcl_Blue]

A clickbait is when someone uses a title, thumbnail, or whatever else can be used to get people to click on their article/video/thread, that is intentionally misleading or intentionally (and unnecessarily) withholds information that could easily have been made available, in order to "fool" people into clicking.

Clickbaiting can take many forms, depending on the medium and context. For instance, here in the forums, a clickbait title would look like these:

"I've been thinking..." (no information given on title, forcing people to click the thread to know what's even about)

"Am I the only one that..." (same)

Or any other variation of starting a sentence and needlessly cutting it off mid-way so people won't know what it's about unless they enter.

"I am so tired of farming!" would make you think the thread is about there being too much farming in the game, if you enter it and it turns out it's not even about farming at all, that would be a misleading title, thus clickbait.

Or even something intentionally inflammatory and outrageous that's just there to get people's attention, could be considered clickbait, especially if the thread's contents are much less inflammatory (or otherwise discredit it).

[(PSN)chubbslawson]

I see