4 ms·

I like to think that consumers will eventually develop a mental immunity to BuzzFeed-style headlines, and then they'll be a bit stuck. There's only so many tim

by afafsd 12y ago

I like to think that consumers will eventually develop a mental immunity to BuzzFeed-style headlines, and then they'll be a bit stuck. There's only so many times a human can click on "Ten Amazing Things About Something Or Other That We Bet You Won't Believe" before it finally clicks in their brain that hey, wait a minute, last time I read one of these it wasn't _that_ amazing...

eterm 12y ago
But its already evolved from "These Things Will Amaze You" to "I Saw This And I Couldn't Believe What I Saw" (headlines shifted to first person) and will continue to evolve. As long as buzzfeed have the data they can stay ahead of the curve.
- walterbell 12y ago
  It's only a matter of time before browser-based "killfile" extensions treat linkbait & native ads in the manner that banner ads have been treated. It may be temporarily profitable to prey on temporary trust, but the curve evolves on all sides of the market. If algorithms are used to write human-hostile headlines, algorithms will be used to filter human-improving content. Ask Demand Media how their Google traffic is doing post Panda algorithm updates.
patio11 12y ago
Take a look at the August 1985 issue of Cosmopolitan and see how tired they are of the formula. The Chilling Lure of Cocaine - Could You Be Hooked? The Bottom Line on Office Sex. 25 Ways To Ignite A Love Affair. Seriously, all real titles from one month picked at random.
- jackweirdy 12y ago
  It never ceases to amaze me how long unsustainable things stick around for
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    [deleted]
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  - jh3 12y ago
    If something's been around for a long time, it must be somewhat sustainable.
    - jackweirdy 12y ago
      True. But knowingly using up finite resources doesn't seem to deter people.
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        [deleted]
  - rmc 12y ago
    Or it's not unsustainable?
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  [deleted]
jsmeaton 12y ago
I made my own personal stand. I refuse to click any BuzzFeed-style headlines.

by afafsd 12y ago

eterm 12y ago

But its already evolved from "These Things Will Amaze You" to "I Saw This And I Couldn't Believe What I Saw" (headlines shifted to first person) and will continue to evolve. As long as buzzfeed have the data they can stay ahead of the curve.

walterbell 12y ago
It's only a matter of time before browser-based "killfile" extensions treat linkbait & native ads in the manner that banner ads have been treated. It may be temporarily profitable to prey on temporary trust, but the curve evolves on all sides of the market. If algorithms are used to write human-hostile headlines, algorithms will be used to filter human-improving content. Ask Demand Media how their Google traffic is doing post Panda algorithm updates.

patio11 12y ago

Take a look at the August 1985 issue of Cosmopolitan and see how tired they are of the formula. The Chilling Lure of Cocaine - Could You Be Hooked? The Bottom Line on Office Sex. 25 Ways To Ignite A Love Affair. Seriously, all real titles from one month picked at random.

jackweirdy 12y ago
It never ceases to amaze me how long unsustainable things stick around for
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- jh3 12y ago
  If something's been around for a long time, it must be somewhat sustainable.
  - jackweirdy 12y ago
    True. But knowingly using up finite resources doesn't seem to deter people.
    - deleted 12y ago
      [deleted]
- rmc 12y ago
  Or it's not unsustainable?
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]

jsmeaton 12y ago

I made my own personal stand. I refuse to click any BuzzFeed-style headlines.