I’m done clicking links to Upworthy and similar linkbait-y sites that show up in my Facebook feed, and I think you should too.
Usually the links are mildly interesting, but sites like these aggressively A/B test different techniques for titling them to end up with this exaggerated, sensationalized title. The link title, instead of being a helpful description of what I’m about to click on, has no real bearing on the actual content. The link is just desperate and will do anything to get my click.
This comes off as such a first world problem, but it really bothers me how disingenuous these sites are, stopping at nothing just to drive page views. It’s the internet equivalent of tabloid magazines at the checkout line, and I think we should expect better.
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