TRAVIS LEFEVRE
Lampoon Editor
At the Lampoon, we despise clickbait articles. We considered making a legitimate article explaining why, but we figured this way would be easier. So keep reading to find out why we hate clickbait!
- Clickbait is just another way for websites to get views. It gives a website many more views than it ever needs. It can help websites get 15 page views with one article. Buzzfeed does not have 463.3 million page views because they generate quality content.
- It makes us think that we’re actually getting useful information, when the reality is that clickbait is usually full of irrelevant topics. I’m looking at you, “23 Tweets That Will Make Perfect Sense To Anyone With A Cat.” No, it doesn’t make perfect sense at all.
- Topics used in clickbait articles are typically mundane and not helpful. Since when did an article titled “18 Medieval Paintings That Perfectly Sum Up Being A Labour Supporter” actually have anything you could take into the real world?
- One of the biggest offenders of clickbait, Buzzfeed, pays its writers a $45,000 salary for writing list-based articles on useless topics. They get paid more than social workers and kindergarten teachers. Let that sink in.
- Two words: Ads everywhere. You might even see your favorite ad on “15 Ads That Made Us Literally Laugh Out Loud.” Take a look. It probably exists somewhere.
- You might think that sharing “13 Times We Couldn’t Even Deal” on Facebook makes you the funniest person around. But you really just look tacky. Don’t be that person.
- Clickbait can be addictive. You read through one, fighting your way through the ads to make it to the end of the list. All of the sudden, you see a new list on the sidebar, and you soon find yourself in this rut. Congratulations, you were successfully baited by the click.
- Admittedly, clickbait videos aren’t the worst thing to ever exist. They lack ads, but they still have the same useless content as most clickbait articles.
- The takeaways from articles aren’t always relatable. You may not want to eat anything on the “23 Breakfasts You’ll Want To Eat All Day” list. I sure as hell don’t want to add jam and cheese toast to my diet.