I have had another thought about the recent election. This thought is less serious than the message in my previous posts, but I want to try it out on people nonetheless.
Weeks before the election itself I became interested in the connection between the Trump campaign and Breitbart News. I try to investigate things myself rather than rely on what other people have to say and this priority is easy enough to act on when the source is available online. Give it a try yourself (Breitbart News).
My first reaction was that the Breitbart site appeared very similar to the “papers” I notice but never purchase when waiting in the checkout line at the grocery store. I assume you recognize the type of periodical I am describing. These are the papers with garish colors and pictures, salacious and tempting titles, topics that tend to emphasize sex, divorce, and betrayal, the failures of Hollywood stars and other celebrities, or startling conspiracy theories. I usually conclude the stores put this stuff in the check out line not because anyone will actually buy the papers, but because the papers distract the customers from complaining about slow service. Someone check to see if there are actually stories on the inside pages. I cannot tell you for certain.
My initial exploration of Breitbart News, the role played by Steve Bannon during the campaign, and some of the catch phrases used during the campaign (lock her up, drain the swamp, make America great AGAIN) has led me to this new insight. It was all just clickbait.
Clickbait is a term used in the world of online media to describe the titles used to attract attention and draw readers to view other pages. Typically the titles labelled in this way are inflammatory or crude and most readers end up disappointed when they actually get to the page of content associated with the title. It is called clickbait because the entire purpose is designed to encourage mouse clicks that generate ad revenue. The titles can attract attention both from those likely to agree with what can be inferred from the title or from those who are likely to object strongly to the content but just have to see what is on the linked page.
The use of clickbait is a successful but despised technique. It is a method that preys on biases and human weaknesses. It is a method for attracting attention when what you have to say lacks substance.
My last post proposed that there is little reason to consider the advice of pundits, the words and video of the candidates was provided to us in abundance. I suggested what we saw is what we will get.
The clickbait hypothesis is a little different. This idea suggests that what we saw offers little insight into what we might get. The actual substance revealed by these political clicks will take months and even years to be revealed. Worse yet, the low level motives that encourage clicks distract an audience from spending their time on more serious matters. This could have been an opportunity for a consideration of serious issues that the nation needs to address. The process was wasted on distractions and the serious issues still lack serious consideration.