HAHA! It worked. We got you with that shitty headline. Whether it's Upworthy, Buzzfeed, or any number of other digital properties capitalizing on broad viral content, it seems many headline writers are taking master's courses in click bait.
So the Onion, headquartered in Chicago, created a new website this year to make fun of all the ridiculous ways news sites try to attract eyeballs. ClickHole launched in June and parodies sites like Buzzfeed with headlines like, "7 Dogs That Would be Cute if Not for Their Weirdly Visible Nipples" and "Are You an Introvert, Extrovert, Or a Sea Monster?"
And barely a month and a half into the launch, ClickHole is already receiving some major praise. Today it was named by Time Magazine (which can be pretty click bait-y itself on social media) as one of the 50 best websites of 2014. Here's what Time said.
...ClickHole is more than just a one-off joke at the expense of obnoxious headlines. It’s an ongoing subversion of every site’s attempt to go viral, frequently veering into non-sequiturs and dark humor to make its point. That’s enough to keep us interested, even if major media organizations are in the crosshairs.
Even though ClickHole is an obvious parody of viral-heavy websites, it's stories aren't really all that different. It's a catchy headline with mostly empty content. And that's probably ClickHole's strongest point.
Now, go watch this ClickHole video called, "Watch This Crazy Street Fight (WARNING: Violence)."
You clicked on it, didn't you. SMH.
Image via Splashbase by Alejandro Escamilla
