Glossary
Clickbait
Headlines designed to provoke curiosity or emotion at the expense of accurately describing the underlying content.
Classic clickbait patterns: "You won't BELIEVE what happened next", numbered listicles that don't deliver, headlines that promise revelation but lead to thin content. More sophisticated clickbait uses the *curiosity gap* — a headline that withholds enough information to force the click but technically isn't false. Engagement-optimized algorithms have made clickbait more efficient and more pervasive. Defenses: subscribe to outlets, use ad blockers (reduces the economic incentive), and reward outlets whose headlines accurately summarize their content. See also: yellow journalism.
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