3 ms·
How is 'this kid' more clickbait than 'a kid'?
by baroffoos 8y ago
How is 'this kid' more clickbait than 'a kid'?
- dang 8y agoIt's the 'this' that does it. 'Kid' is baity too, but there are degrees.
- code_duck 8y agoWhat’s the psychology of that, though? How does ‘this’ attract more clicks than ‘a’?
- dang 8y agoYour just-so story is as good as mine, but FWIW my theory is that "this" is the verbal equivalent of physically pointing at something. So its role in a headline is analogous to those people who stand at a busy intersection shaking a gigantic cardboard pointer to some nearby store.
- lupire 8y ago"this" is zero value clickbait and easy to catch. "kid" is a lie in this case, but it's hard for software to detect that automatically.