menu
Weekly Online Magazine
ISSN 2544-5839
zamknij
Work In Media image

24.03.2025 Media industry

Clickbait Uncovered. How Online Headlines Evolved Over 25 Years

Krzysztof Fiedorek

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute analyzed 40 million headlines from the past 25 years. They are getting longer, more emotional, and negative, with a clear influence of clickbait style. Even reputable media use strategies and tricks to grab attention.
Poczytaj artykuł wydanie polskie w wydaniu polskim

Clickbait Uncovered. How Online Headlines Evolved Over 25 Yearsillustration: DALL-E

Headlines on the internet have become longer, more negative, and surprisingly similar to clickbait. Research conducted by Pietro Nickl, Mehdi Moussaïd, and Philipp Lorenz-Spreen from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development shows that since the beginning of the 21st century, there has been a significant change in how online media headlines are constructed.

To analyze around 40 million headlines from four major English-language sources - The New York Times, The Guardian, The Times of India, and ABC News Australia, researchers used NLP methods, sentiment analysis, and regression models to detect language changes. The results were published in the article "The Evolution of Online News Headlines" in Nature Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, revealing a clear trend toward more clickable, emotional content.

Longer and more emotional headlines


Over two decades, online media headlines have increased in length by an average of 25%. In 2000, a headline in The New York Times typically took the form of a short sentence fragment, like "Shell`s future in Nigeria in doubt." Today, they more often take the form of a complete sentence, similar to clickbait from Upworthy: "I`m No Supreme Court Expert, But I Kinda Think You Shouldn`t Be Able To Pay For This?".

The report shows that full sentences and questions are replacing traditional short headlines. This phenomenon is driven by growing competition for readers` attention online. Algorithms favor content that triggers reactions, such as clicks or shares, giving an advantage to longer and more emotional headlines.

Clickbait not just in tabloids


Interestingly, these changes are not limited to low-quality media. Researchers observed similar trends in high-reputation outlets like The Guardian and The New York Times. Negative headlines are now more common than positive ones, further emphasizing the dominance of emotion over facts.

  • The number of headlines with a negative tone has increased by 30% over the past 20 years.
  • More headlines include personal pronouns and questions to pique the reader`s curiosity.
  • The number of headlines containing words like "why" and "how" is rising, indicating an attempt to draw readers into the narrative.

Algorithms and A/B strategies


Media are increasingly using A/B testing to optimize headlines. An example is Upworthy, which experimented with different variants to maximize click-through rates. From 2013 to 2015, this model dominated Facebook until the algorithm changed to favor more engaging content rather than mere clicks. As a result, clickbait-style headlines became somewhat less popular, although they are still widely used.

Although clickbait styling offers tangible benefits in terms of higher click numbers, it also raises ethical and social issues. It undermines trust in media and contributes to misinformation. Moreover, promoting negative content encourages social polarization, especially in media with extreme political sympathies.

Headline Features Increase from 2000 to 2025
Length (number of words) +25%
Negative wording +30%
Personal pronouns +20%
Questions and interrogative pronouns +15%


Research results indicate that these changes occur regardless of journalistic quality or political sympathies. This means that even reputable sources are adapting to the rules governing the online attention market, where the most engaging headlines prevail.

Can it be changed?


Experts believe that changing the algorithms that promote content on social media could solve the problem. An example is The Guardian, which placed a "Most Read" section next to "Most Shared" on its website, allowing users to make more informed choices.


A list of potential solutions includes:

  • Increasing algorithm transparency on social media platforms.
  • Media literacy education to help users distinguish reliable content from clickbait.
  • Promoting socially valuable content rather than just visually appealing material.

Headlines on the web have ceased to be just information. They have become a product designed to sell emotions and clicks. While this trend may seem irreversible, it is essential to remember that changing algorithms could bring a more balanced approach to creating and consuming content online.

The research report "The Evolution of Online News Headlines" is available at
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-025-04514-7

Share the article:

dodaj na Facebook prześlij przez Messenger dodaj na Twitter dodaj na LinkedIn

COMMERCIAL BREAK
Work In Media

New articles in section Media industry

YouTube redefines viewer engagement. Goodbye to returning viewers

KFi
As many as 30% of internet users now turn to YouTube as their main news source, and 65% consume news in video form. Now the platform is shaking things up. Reach still matters, but engagement is what really counts.

Influencers and social video rule information. Digital News Report 2025

Krzysztof Fiedorek
Seconds of vertical clips set the future of news. TikTok, YouTube and an army of influencers pull viewers away from TV sets and newspaper pages. Whoever masters this new pulse seizes not only attention but also control of the story.

Cyberviolence and hate disguised as a joke. The RAYUELA report on youth

Krzysztof Fiedorek
The study conducted in five countries reveals a harsh truth. Online violence is not evenly distributed. It is a digital map of prejudice that hurts the most those who stand out the most. "It’s just a joke." That’s how violence often begins. Young people go through it in silence.


See articles on a similar topic:

Future of Public Media. Who Will Be Data Ethicists and VR Designers?

KFi
How does the future of work in media look? Here are professions that do not yet exist but will soon become essential. The report "Future Jobs at PSM: Competencies and Professions for the Media of Tomorrow," prepared by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Rai Ufficio Studi, outlines key changes awaiting the public media sector in the coming years.

Automation of Disinformation. Global Risks Report 2025 and Media

Krzysztof Fiedorek
Disinformation and information manipulation have ranked first among global threats in both the two-year and ten-year perspectives. A particularly concerning factor is that social media algorithms often favor controversial or shocking content, further fueling disinformation.

Digital Press Reading Habits

Bartłomiej Dwornik
What time of day do we most often reach for e-newspapers and e-books? According to a study by Legimi, peak times are between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. It’s time to dismiss the notion that weekends are our favorite reading days.

Deepfake Blurs Truth and Falsehood. Human Perception Research

KFi
Studies indicate that only 60% of deepfake images can be correctly identified by humans. As AI begins to dominate content production, the problem of differentiation fatigue grows – users lose confidence in assessing the authenticity of information and fall into cynicism.

More in the section: Media industry

Work in media

United States
New York • Washington DC • Los Angeles • Chicago • Houston • Phoenix • Philadelphia United Kingdom
London • Birmingham • Manchester • Liverpool • Glasgow • Edinburgh Canada
Toronto • Ottawa • Montreal • Calgary Australia
Sydney • Melbourne • Brisbane • canberra Ireland, New Zealand, India

advertisement

Drones. For PRO. On discount




community

Facebook LinkedIn X Twitter TikTok Instagram Threads Youtube Google News Blue Sky Social RSS

Reporterzy.info - online media studies magazine. The world of communication from the inside. Media, journalism, PR and marketing. Data, reports, analyses, advice. History and market, law, photography, job offers.



Reporter shopping

Reporter shopping

Affordable laptops, notebooks and netbooks
Affordable laptops, notebooks and netbooks
for writing
Digital SLR and compact cameras
Digital SLR and compact cameras
for photographers
Books and e-books about media
Books and e-books about media
for reading
Video drones and flying cameras
Video drones and flying cameras
for pilots
Gimbals for stabilizing video
Gimbals for stabilizing video
for those on the move
Software and apps for creative work
Software and apps for creative work
for digital creators
More occasions

follow us 👉 on Youtube
Watch more 👇
#4Lines 4 a Good(?) Morning SHORTS
Read books and e-books

Read books and e-books

Okładka Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man
Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man
Okładka Media Control. The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda
Media Control. The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda
Okładka Social Media Marketing All-in-One For Dummies
Social Media Marketing All-in-One For Dummies
Okładka Mass Communication: Living in a Media World
Mass Communication: Living in a Media World
Okładka Beyond The Feed: A Social Media Success Formula
Beyond The Feed: A Social Media Success Formula
Okładka Hate, Inc.: Why Today`s Media Makes Us Despise One Another
Hate, Inc.: Why Today`s Media Makes Us Despise One Another
more books and e-books

Reporterzy.info

More about us

Our tools and services

Contact


© Dwornik.pl Bartłomiej Dwornik 2oo1-2o25