Clickbait headlines are getting worse and worse by the day, yet people seem so conditioned into clicking onto garbage articles on the internet that they read the stories anyway. There is a wide array of stories that I simply refuse to read because the headlines follow the same pattern and use the same traps to draw in the unwary.
If you feel like a lot of your time gets wasted with junk articles, fake news, and mindless drivel that you were tricked into reading, you are not alone. To help minimize your risk of dumping literary garbage into your brain, here’s a short list of phrases and buzzwords that signal when you are being tricked into reading a clickbait story.
- This _______ is changing the way people ________.
- _______ will make you _______
- People are freaking out about/after __________
- After you read this, you may never want to _________ again.
- _________ did _________; the reason will shock you.
- A ______ has solved one of the biggest problems with ________.
- Lose weight/belly fat with this one simple trick.
- ____________ did _______________; what happened next will blow your mind.
- This ________’s reaction to ___________ will bring tears to your eyes.
- _______ starts _________; but when he/she ________ my jaw dropped.
- ______ just tweeted a warning about ______.
- ____ photos of _____; number ___ will blow your mind.
- This ____ was ranked the best place to ______.
- He/she was a big star in the 70s/80s/90s/; you won’t believe what he/she looks like now.
- They told her she couldn’t ______ because _______; take a look at her now.
- Survey says ______.
- Studies indicate ______.
- _______ does ________; twitter reacts with _________
- Slash your _____ with this one simple/crazy hack.
- ______ crazy facts about ______.
- A ______ has a ______ for the first time.
- You’ll never look at ______ the same way once you see this.
- (anything with the word “Kardashian” in it).
- (basically anything that will “blow your mind,” “bring tears to your eyes,” “change the way you look at ____,” “my jaw dropped,””what happened next,” “OMG.” ).
Do you have any favorite clickbait phrases that make you cringe? Share them below.
