This time, I’ll be discussing the titles used for articles on Satsukingdom. This also serves as my declaration.
About the online article titles I dislike
Every day, I check various news stories and articles on my smartphone. It’s amazing how convenient the world has become, allowing me to learn about news and topics that interest me during any spare moment. Back when the only options were TV or newspapers, it’s truly a blessing to now have such easy access to the latest information. News apps are also incredibly useful.
I’ve been noticing more and more of them lately—aren’t there a lot of misleading headlines? Headlines that have nothing to do with the content, or that contradict the conclusion. Headlines that make it sound like some major event happened, but when I actually read the article, it’s just about a comedian’s joke on radio or TV.
“Who knew there were such amazing views!” or “○○-san makes a comeback after years! Their transformation is shocking!”—these are headlines that clearly need images, yet when you click, you get nothing but text. No pictures, just a link to an article written by someone else somewhere else, like “here.” Sometimes it just sends you to someone’s Instagram or X. I get it’s probably about photo copyrights, but it’s still disappointing.
Is it the desperation to get their articles seen among the countless others? Or the underhanded tactics that stop at nothing? Or perhaps the belief that “that’s just how it is”? I can’t tell.
In this era where anyone, including myself, can share information, I suppose it’s just the way things are. It’s not exactly a crime, so I don’t plan to argue that it should stop. With only so many newsworthy topics, if they write about the same subject as others, they have no choice but to fight for attention through their headline. I don’t like the feeling of having my time exploited, though.
What I find particularly troubling lately is that even well-known news sites and newspapers have started using such cheap? headlines. It makes me feel conflicted to see even those who should be information professionals resorting to this tactic.
I try to think positively—like, “Is this the first job given to new hires?” or “Is it a gateway to writing articles for major media outlets?”—but even so, I can’t bring myself to agree.
Thoughts from uploading YouTube videos
That said, I understand how they feel. I posted videos on YouTube for a little while. Editing videos—even just making a 10-minute clip—takes an enormous amount of time and effort. I was shocked when I tried it. Video editing was new to me, so no matter how much time and effort it took, I enjoyed it.
But since I put in all that effort, I want people to see it, right? On YouTube, if my thumbnail is bad—like a poor article title for online content—no one will bother to watch the actual video. And unless the creator themselves is genuinely appealing, the only thumbnails that get views are the ones that are wildly exaggerated or misleading. Plus, content with sexual undertones tends to get views. Even if the content is nonsense, clickbait thumbnails get views. Conversely, no matter how much effort they put into the content, if the thumbnail is dull, it won’t even get played. I think the desire to “have something they worked hard to create seen by someone” intensifies, leading people to resort to clickbait thumbnails.
Conclusion: I will not do it.
I suppose online articles face the same situation. Newspapers and major websites likely have targets like “must generate XX page views” or “must write △ articles exceeding XX page views.” Given that, I imagine clickbait titles are the most efficient approach.
I’m doing this as an individual, and these are posts, not news articles. They’re not just more of the same old content flooding the internet. Writing posts is enjoyable, and it doesn’t take nearly as much time as YouTube does. Though I do have a desire for people to see them, to some extent.
But I can’t bring myself to exploit people’s time with clickbait headlines, so I won’t use them. I hereby declare that I will only use titles that match the content.
It might look like I’m writing something noble, but I’ve actually used clickbait thumbnails on YouTube before. I got influenced by that kind of information that says, “That’s the real deal!” When I was doing it, I felt a bit disgusted with myself. I don’t want to experience that same feeling on this site. That’s the real reason.
“Taking actions that satisfy myself” is one of the ways I learned to protect myself during my sabbatical, so I’ll stick to that approach.
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