CLICKBAIT IN DIGITAL JOURNALISM: STRATEGIES AND PECULIARITIES

UDC 070:004.738.5

Hradziushka Aleksandr Aleksandrovich – PhD (Philology), Assistant Professor, the Department of Periodical Press and Web Journalism. Belarusian State University (4 Nezavisimosti Ave., 220030, Minsk, Republic of Belarus). E-mail: webjourn@gmail.com

DOI: https://doi.org/ 52065/2520-6729-2025-291-5.

Key words: clickbait, digital journalism, news, media text, headline, social media, YouTube, audience, digital technology.

For citation: Hradziushka А. А. Clickbait in digital journalism: strategies and peculiarities. Proceedings of BSTU, issue 4, Print- and Mediatechnologies, 2025, no. 1 (291), pp. 34–40 (In Russian). DOI: 10.52065/2520-6729-2025-291-5.

Abstract

The article analyses clickbait as one of the technologies of content promotion in digital journalism. Websites, social media accounts and YouTube channels of the six largest national media outlets of the Republic of Belarus were chosen as the object of the study. It is hypothesised that clickbait has become widespread on the digital platforms of high-quality Belarusian media. Previous interpretations of the term clickbait have focused exclusively on tabloid journalism. In the last few years, the academic community has seen a shift away from negative interpretations of the term. Drawing on a substantial body of theoretical work and empirical evidence, we do not see clickbait as a problem or something negative. We argue that it is rather one of the ways of attracting the audience's attention, a technique of highlighting the material in the general information flow. We identify linguistic, typological and thematic features of clickbait on various digital platforms, and compare different strategies of content promotion in digital journalism. It is concluded that clickbait has significant potential in an era characterised by the widespread use of algorithmic systems. At the same time, it emphasises the trend towards news avoidance that has resulted from information oversaturation.

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11.02.2025