Discussion: The impact of clickbait

In the third part of your assignment, you are asked to discuss the impact of clickbait, taking your starting point in one of the texts and using phrases like unlike, however, by comparison, as a result, therefore, furthermore, in this case, to sum up.

The phrases above are called connectors or link phrases, and they are used to mark the passage from one idea to another, to introduce new or opposing arguments, or to summarize and idea or an argument.

Though both texts deal with the topic of clickbait, they discuss its impact differently.

Text 1 vs. Text 2

Text 1, “The Six Things That Make You Go Viral Will Amaze, and Maybe Infuriate, You” by Maria Konnikova, is more concerned with what makes users click and less with its impact.

By comparison, Text 2, “Don’t like clickbait? Don’t click” by Sally Kohn, is more concerned with the negative impact of clickbait and less with what makes users click on certain content.

Some indirect references to the impact of clickbait used in Text 1 (“The Six Things That Make You Go Viral Will Amaze, and Maybe Infuriate, You”) are in the title, which suggests that click-baiting can cause amazement or fury in the receivers. 

Also, in Text 1 it is implied that clickbait has an important impact on websites as a business, that the success of clickbait also influe...