Join Opinion on Facebook and follow updates on /roomfordebate. It is part of the larger grand challenge we face in managing our focus of attention amid the sheer volume of digital information available. Click bait describes web content whose sole focus is generating online advertising revenue at the expense of content quality or accuracy and often relies on. It may be hard to resist click bait, but it's hard to resist other web content as well. And by the time we have clicked on our third, fourth, fifth link, we may have forgotten about the original page altogether. Unfortunately, back buttons on the browser are not always an Ariadne's golden thread that lead us quickly back to the original page, or the original goal. What is new, however, is the combination of click bait with the design of hypermedia that leads us down cognitive paths that make it hard to find our way back to the original, intended task. Many argue that click bait is not new, as newspapers have used enticing headlines to lure readers since the 19th century. Whether or not click bait misrepresents the content underneath is not the point – it is another digital media device that entices us to switch our attention to yet another topic. And that makes us even more susceptible to the lure of click bait. Once overloaded, we tend to do more lightweight activities. This attention residue adds to our cognitive load as we keep switching our focus of attention and trying to reorient to new topics. ![]() When we switch our attention to a new activity, the cognitions that we used in the first task remain as we transition to the subsequent task. While we can't blame all attention distraction on click bait, as with any addictive relationship, it is an enabler. Use Clickbait Tactics to Link to Other Relevant Articles on Your Site BuzzFeed Headline Tricks to Steal Pros and Cons. Our research has shown that attention distraction can lead to higher stress, a bad mood and lower productivity. While we can't blame all attention distraction on click bait, as with any addictive relationship, it is an enabler.
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