# Worst example of clickbait **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 8, 2018, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-example-of-clickbait/825785 "2018-12-08T04:40:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2018, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-example-of-clickbait/825785/1 "2018-12-08T04:40:56Z")
On BBC news website today I saw a story that on the front page is labelled as “Is the dystopian future of water shortages already here?” Click on it, and you find[a story](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-46451834) about… how some restaurants in a relatively dry region of India are serving half-size glasses of water :rolleyes: It’s such an exaggeration that they could claim it was meant humorously. But still, that “humor” would have got the story a lot of unwarranted clicks, and caused a lot of disappointment. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2018, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-example-of-clickbait/825785/2 "2018-12-08T05:21:41Z")
_“12 Things You Won’t Believe Donald Trump Has Said!”_ Yeah, I’ll believe it. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2018, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-example-of-clickbait/825785/3 "2018-12-08T05:27:29Z")
any “sponsored” link is click bait ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2018, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-example-of-clickbait/825785/4 "2018-12-09T02:57:10Z")
_You Won’t Believe How This 70’s Star Looks Now_ Beneath the headline was a photo of Farrah Fawcett. Dude, Farrah Fawcett **died** in 2009. I don’t want to know how she looks now! ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2018, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-example-of-clickbait/825785/5 "2018-12-09T03:55:13Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > _You Won’t Believe How This 70’s Star Looks Now_ > > Beneath the headline was a photo of Farrah Fawcett. Dude, Farrah Fawcett **died** in 2009. I don’t want to know how she looks now! Yep and in general “Look at how this star has let him/herself go!” and then they show a picture of the person at 23 and at 45. Yeah you really dropped the ball there by living on the surface of a planet exposed to solar and cosmic radiation and not frequently scrubbing your DNA for errors. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-example-of-clickbait/825785/6 "2018-12-10T19:55:07Z")
I think the new “you won’t believe what \_\_\_\_\_\_” form factor is “The internet is losing its mind over \_\_\_\_\_” Except, if the whole internet is losing its mind over somethings, you wouldn’t have to write an article on the internet to tell the internet that, now would you? ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-example-of-clickbait/825785/7 "2018-12-10T20:26:54Z")
I guess the “trick your bank doesn’t want you to know” no longer works? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-example-of-clickbait/825785/8 "2018-12-10T20:29:03Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > On BBC news website today I saw a story that on the front page is labelled as “Is the dystopian future of water shortages already here?” > > Click on it, and you find[a story](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-46451834) about… how some restaurants in a relatively dry region of India are serving half-size glasses of water :rolleyes: At least they gave you the “answer” to the question on the first page. The worst clickbait makes you click through a dozen pages (each full of ads) before they give you the answer to the question. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-example-of-clickbait/825785/9 "2018-12-10T21:39:12Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > The worst clickbait makes you click through a dozen pages (each full of ads) before they give you the answer to the question. Or have you click through an entire slideshow, which turns out to not include the image in the original link. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-example-of-clickbait/825785/10 "2018-12-10T22:47:17Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I guess the “trick your bank doesn’t want you to know” no longer works? Not ever since these three men disrupted a trillion dollar banking industry from their basement. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-example-of-clickbait/825785/11 "2018-12-11T03:07:35Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I guess the “trick your bank doesn’t want you to know” no longer works? Or indeed “Simple home remedy for migraines – doctors are furious!”