Let's find out how and why people are reeling in reads the wrong way:

What is clickbait?
Clickbait is a misrepresentation tactic where a publication, brand or person uses false information as "bait" to hook people into clicking a link, following a page, or subscribing to a website — hence clickbait.

It's kind of like going to watch a movie only to find out that all the good parts were already shown in the trailer — or even cut out completely. Talk about overselling and under-delivering.

How can you avoid clickbait?
People generally discover that they are a victim of clickbait after they have scrolled through an entire article, followed, liked or subscribed only to not get what they were promised.

However, you can avoid being duped by false promises by:
  • not clicking into an article if its headline seems sensationalised
  • doing a quick search on a website name to see if it's a credible source, and
  • avoiding media that promises to tell or give you something if you "click here".

It is also important to ask yourself, "What is the purpose of this?" before clicking into it. It's probably clickbait if it tries to:
  • get information from you
  • ask you to follow, read, like or subscribe to see the rest of the story or picture, and
  • spread gossip.
How do you avoid clickbait? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Clickbait isn't always bad. Find out how clickbait can be used productively in our article, How a hint of clickbait helps media agencies rise to the top.
*Image courtesy of Canva