Clickbait is a form of False Advertisement, which uses hyperlink text or a thumbnail link that is designed to attract attention and entice users to follow that link and read, view, or listen to the linked piece of online content, with a defining characteristic of being deceptive, typically sensationalized or misleading.
The problem with these tempting offers and headlines is that, waste of your time, some have an even more sinister purpose. And they’re achieving their ends well. Here are some of the biggest dangers posed by clickbait:
- Dangerous links can host malware and Trojans. If the SHOCKING headline you clicked on doesn’t directly host the online threat, the next link might, and you will be shocked indeed.
- Content flipping is the old bait-and-switch method of using a post or page that has achieved vitality and switching the content for more malicious purposes.
- Free IQ tests and credit score checks can be examples of phishing. You are asked to fill in personal information in order to get your results.
- Click-jacking is one of the more subtle methods used by hackers and scammers. Clicking on a button that advertises one thing but really does another, without the user or the site owner’s knowledge.
- Hidden opt-in conditions for quizzes and contests from your social profile can allow the provider to access and use your personal data in any way they wish. In fact, you might want to check your privacy settings on your social profiles now and see if any apps you no longer use still have access to your profile.
- It doesn’t stop with your personal profile and information. One personal profile being hijacked is enough to endanger your friends, flooding their news-feeds with links to scams and dangerous links.
“I think it’s clickbait because yournewswire has been churning out formulaic ‘deathbed confessions’ by spies for a while.”
Social Media Power 