You’ve seen the links in your Facebook and Twitter feeds:
“Watch the first ten seconds of this video and try not to break down crying.”
“You’ll never believe what this kid said to his teacher in the middle of class.”
“Don’t tell me you’re not infuriated after hearing what this guy said.”
And so on and so forth. Everyone knows the all-too familiar headlines from the click-baiting website Upworthy–that’s old news. In fact, Upworthy isn’t the only website based on this publishing model. A November Buzzfeed post featured the right-wing equivalent, the Independent Journal Review, showing that people on the left aren’t the only ones who have caught on to the ingenuity of highly shareable content.
According to the Buzzfeed post, founders of the IJR believe that the site informs a politically disinterested public about politics in a format readers are more likely to consume and share with friends. Politics aside, IJR and Upworthy have it figured out: that today’s average media consumers aren’t interested in long-form political pieces… or long-form anything, for that matter; and that they’re more likely to share sensationalized content.
The rapid success of these sites highlights a few crucial issues for today’s media:
- The ever-shrinking attention span of the public
- The need for media outlets to make their content easily digestible and shareable
- The fight of facts-based journalism to distinguish itself from non-credible media
What do you think about this emerging trend in digital publishing? Is it killing journalism or just polluting your social media feeds? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Some fun, related resources:
→Rather: a tool to block things from your social media feeds that you don’t want to see (like Upworthy headlines)
→Upworthy Generator: a satirical generator to create your own ridiculous Upworthy-esque headline
→Know Your Meme: Upworthy Headlines: an comprehensive overview of internet’s widespread Upworthy mockery
Nicole Scilingo 