Clickbait

Clickbait refers to sensationalized or misleading headlines and visuals designed to entice users to click on specific online content, often containing exaggerated or incomplete information.

As the article states, clickbait is designed to encourage internet users to click on a link, typically through sensational or curiosity-inducing headlines and visuals. The term is derived from the words 'click' and 'bait'. The article emphasizes that clickbait plays on the weaknesses of human psychology, especially our sense of curiosity. The phenomenon known as the 'curiosity gap' – the void between what a reader thinks they know and what they perceive as missing information – forms the core of clickbait. By deliberately concealing or leaving information incomplete in the headline, users are prompted to ask, 'What happens next?'

The article explains that clickbait is not a new phenomenon, tracing its roots back to 19th-century 'yellow journalism' and sensationalist reporting. Events like the 'Great Moon Hoax' of 1835 are presented as historical examples of what would today be considered clickbait. It notes the prevalence of this manipulative technique in contemporary media, pointing out that even major news websites in Turkey rely heavily on click-driven content. The primary goal is to attract users to content to boost advertising revenue or disseminate a particular message.