We all do it. It’s an easy way to waste some time.
Ohhh – there’s an interesting picture – “CLICK!”
We have taken the bait.
We all spend time on the internet. Perhaps we are online for work or for a hobby or to volunteer – or even just to pass an idle hour – or rather 5 minutes. An idle hour is too much.
If you are like me, you may wander away from your stated purpose every now and then. Sometimes I search odds-and-ends while I take a break between work sessions. However, those times that we wander through the endless, enticing corridors of the web may cause us to become stuck in a sticky trap. But we should be able to extract ourselves shortly after a few laughs, or a pleasurable moment or two of letting our mind wander.
I use these times that I wander on the internet as cool-downs between work session. It’s like playing solitaire. I can do it without putting much thought into it and so can also be thinking about a project that I’m working on. I always find it relaxing and often helpful.
A lite search for articles on “Click Bait” (Cbt) turned up several including one from Wired and one from Forbes (links below). Both spoke in unflattering terms of the problems with Cbt and how it distracts us. The articles both start with a focus on what the Cbt headlines states and how that makes us react. I would challenge this and say that is true if we are letting Cbt use us, but what we need to do is empower ourselves to use the Cbt to our own advantage.
The two referenced articles have a scientific basis and speak to studies conducted by the authors and by others. I make no such claim. This article is not based on a study, scientific or otherwise. It is based on what I like. Wait – have I fallen into the Cbt paradigm? The Cbt invitation classically uses emotions to get me to click. But why do they want me to click in the first place. It could be – but I highly doubt this – the author/owner of the click bait-able article just wants me to have a moment of fun. What I do believe is that there is some algorithm running behind the article that knows who I am. OK, that may sound somewhat paranoid, but I feel (not a scientific word) that there is some merit in the statement. Let’s see. How do the sites that post the Cbt make money? Yes, making money is a strong incentive for baiting the silken trap. They make money by having me look at my computer screen, because next to the picture of the kitten or the article that claims “THIS WILL MAKE YOU A MILLIONAIRE” – is an ad. Maybe the ad is for shoes or for dog food or for vacations, but there is an ad. When I open the webpage and see the ad, someone is making money. But I have to say, “That’s OK”, because I clicked on the Cbt because I wanted to – a mild distraction in the middle of a busy day.
But what else has happened? The algorithm – not one you can dance to – that is embedded behind the article says, Billy has just looked at a picture of shoes; Billy must want SHOES! I am sure that you notice that once you have bought a pair of shoes on line – or looked at some shoes on line – suddenly there are ads all over your screen about shoes and where to buy them. “They” know what I’m looking at. No Kidding! I firmly believe that whenever I willingly do something on the internet that it is being noticed and recorded and sorted and added to the profile of ME.
So, what do “they” know. First, they know where I live. Maybe not this apartment on this street but the area. My ISP tells them this whenever the algorithm sees my IP address. So what else do they want to know? They want to know my demographics. They want to know how old I am and how much I money I make. You see the bait all the time, “What was the most popular tree the year you were born.” No one cares what tree you like, but if they can find out your age bracket that is gold for marketing to me. And then there are questions like, “What is the most fun you can have in your tax bracket?”, e.g., questions from which your response will imply your income. Bingo – now they know where you are, how old you are, and how much – in general terms – you make. Now they want to know your gender. I don’t see too many headlines – or bait lines – that ask outright, What is your gender? But many times, if you enter the web and start looking around it’s the big algorithm in the web that perhaps can deduce what your gender is. And now they have it all – because you gave it to them. Willingly.
As we blunder through the internet it’s always good to recall Mary Howitt’s memorable line, “Will you walk into my parlour? Said the spider to the fly.” You are invited in not because they want to entertain you – but to use you, to sell you stuff.
So where is the fun in that? The fun is in turning the tables – or trying to turn the tables – on them. Deny them the information. First, don’t care about the tree that was the favorite in the year you were born. But do care about what helps you relax. Take a look at a cat if you want. Look at pictures of the 50 best national parks. The internet knowing you like kittens or that you like being outside is more or less ok. Especially if it uses that information to send you pictures of cats (which evidently you like) and articles about being in the woods (which is a passion). But watch the ads change as you go. You will see cat food and pet products replace the ads for shoes that used to line you screen. And perhaps you will see more scenic views of national parks.
But remember the closing lines of Mary Hewitt’s fable of the spider and the fly.
And now dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly, flattering words, I pray you ne’er give heed:
Unto an evil counsellor, close heart and ear and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale, of the Spider and the Fly.
It’s a game we play with the algorithm. How much can I enjoy without telling it more than I should? So be aware.
Now what do you think of these shoes?
The articles reference above:
Bryan Gardiner’s article in Wired Magazine – https://www.wired.com/2015/12/psychology-of-clickbait/
Jayson DeMers’ article in Forbes – https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2017/07/26/is-clickbait-dying-or-stronger-than-ever/#6d291b3f3dac
The Mary Howitt’s poem The Spider and the Fly may be found at – https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-spider-and-the-fly-4/