Sensationalist Clickbait Websites and DU - Just Say NO!

[MineralMan]

There are many, many websites on the Internet that pretend to be news sites. Their writers find stories in legitimate news media and then punch them up with sensational speculative content and headlines to attract attention. A good example is trueactivist.com. Even huffingtonpost.com uses sensational, hyperbolic headlines and speculation to attract people to link to that site, so they'll see all the ads that have made Ariana Huffington wealthy. Why do we support such websites?

You can recognize these websites from their sensationalism. Headlines that create fear or loathing or extreme reactions to the news of the day are their bait. Why use these sites, which are designed only to earn clicks for their owners? Why not go see what a legitimate news source has to say about the subject? Usually, there's a link in the stores at these clickbait site that will take you to the same source their hyperbolic writers used. Why not go there and then link to the legitimate, original source on DU?

Before linking on DU to a site, look at the other stories that site features. Are they listed with sensational headlines? If so, then you're on a clickbait website. Why not go away from there and let Google lead you to an original source? Why lead DUers to inaccurate, overblown stories on clickbait websites?

Thanks for reading this post.

[monmouth4]

1. I see them a lot in my surfing and can almost tell which ones they are just by the heading...n/t

[librechik]

2. Welcome to DU, Mineral Man!

[MineralMan]

4. LOL!

Grumpy MineralMan today. I'm so weary of clickbait links right now. We can do better.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

3. "Headlines that create fear or loathing or extreme reactions"

Perhaps those posting the articles here are confederated with the authors of such articles in the intent of creating fear or loathing or extreme reactions.

It's be poor form to not hate The Others, after all.

[MineralMan]

5. I would never assume that of DUers.

Instead, I think people are led to such sites from links on Facebook and other social media, and simply don't bother to go find a decent source before reposting those links here. It's really frustrating. There are so many interesting stories on legitimate sites that can be found almost instantly on Google. There's no need to post links to further the economic goals of clickbait sites, which are also home to advertisers that may attempt to install malware on your device.

I'm regularly see alarms from my anti-virus and anti-malware software from clickbait sites. I don't click on them intentionally, but sometimes get surprised. Then, I Google the subject and find a real news story easily that doesn't reside on an ugly, slow-loading, advertising-laden website.

[procon]

6. The rise of "Citizen Journalism" has corrupted our already weak Fourth Estate.

Careless readers of this schlock get sucked into the sensational stories that feed into the current talking points that fuel political factions. Sometimes it's difficult to winnow the legitimate journalism from the "contributor" submitted stories because they can both be read on the same news website without a clear distinction. This is where skepticism, if not critical thinking skills, should serve as a BS filter against the stream of consciousness and factless distortions that clutter up the Internet and trap the unwary

[MineralMan]

7. Journalism isn't what it once was, that's for sure.

A careful reader consults sources that have been proven to be useful in the past. Sensationalist sources aren't that, so I discount them and go looking elsewhere. There's too much linking to questionable sources everywhere on the Internet. I blame social media for much of that. If you saw the link on Facebook, it's probably bogus. I'd like that not to be the case on DU. Sadly, not everyone agrees, so we see a lot of bogus links here, too.

[pintobean]

8. This PSA brought to you by

the letter "M"

[MineralMan]

9. Indeed it was.

Thanks for kicking it.

[Oneironaut]

10. My favorite is The Weather Channel

"Major Earthquake to Destroy Most of LA!!!

(Small print: Sometime within 1 year to 100 billion years from now)

[Whiskeytide]

11. Lemme guess. You've figured out a way to get paid...

... when we click on your DU posts, huh?

You're spot on with the sensationalist infotainment sites trying to look like real news sites (do those still exists?). It's maddening sometimes. But some clickbait is worthwhile. Seriously, who can resist "The Cast of Gilligan's Island: Where Are They Now?", or "NFL Cheerleaders Infamous Wardrobe Malfunctions"? I gotta click, baby.