Life Sentences: The Grammar Of Clickbait !

The internet has been taken over with clickbaits. They are mostly found on social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Buzzfeed. The origin of clickbait can go back all the way to the nineteenth century. At that time, the media called it “yellow journalism”. Clickbait lures people into clicking on a link on a website by using titles that are eye-catching and present. It is usually created to gain more views and money. Clickbait comes in many different shapes and sizes. They can be video thumbnails, advertisements, images, and headline articles that are vague, but eye-catching to attract viewers into clicking on the link. Billions of people use the internet and are exposed to clickbaits on a daily basis and fall victim to its manipulative …show more content…
He explains that the title introduces a typical, story, idea or theme in the first sentence that everyone can relate to. The second sentence is generally shorter and vague. The purpose of writing in this format is because the creator wants people reading the headline to be curious and want people to read the article. Human beings are extremely curious and gullible. Companies and individuals exploit the curiosity and gullibility of humans to generate the as many view counts as possible on the site so that they can earn more revenue. In the article, Roberts gives some examples of phrases that would attract people’s attention. “These Women Once Wanted To Shed Their Skin; You Won’t Believe What Their Reasoning.” The first sentence introduces the idea of the article. If the headline was only the first sentence, it probably would not attract people’s attention. By using the phrase “You Won’t Believe What Their Reasoning” it creates curiosity in people and want to click on the article. The second sentence is vague and want you want to know what their reasoning is. This technique is used on most social media sites. It is a very powerful tool in manipulating people’s mind and creates a drive to learn more about the …show more content…
I clicked on the headline, and there was a list of jobs that was likely to be replaced by robots. These jobs include: Telemarketers, Bakers, Cashiers, referees, receptionists, bartenders, etc. It has interesting images and GIFs of the jobs. The title of the headline is similar to other clickbaits. It has an intriguing title. The article itself is short and concise. It has interesting images and the article does not go in depth about the topic. Instead the article has a concise introduction and the rest of the article are images and GIFs to keep the reader’s attention span. This clickbait has accomplished its goal in making me very interested and curious. The headline left me curious and made me want to know more about what jobs robots can replace human