What is clickbait?

Clickbait is a term you see repeatedly, but what is it exactly?

Clickbait is the name given to the practice of formulating the title of an article in such an inviting way, in the hope of generating more clicks, that it no longer corresponds to the content of that article.

Although clickbait has been used for decades in certain niches of the press, the mainstream press has also started to use it. The old business model of selling newspapers is under pressure and new revenue streams from their online platforms have to compensate.

However, this leads to a loss of quality for the mainstream press and irritation among the readership.