I’ve been blogging for 12 years, which is crazy to think about.
Along the way, I’ve learned a few things about writing for the Internet, including the importance of titles and headlines. If you are going to get noticed on the Internet, you need to do it well.
A blogging friend of mine once confided in me that he’ll spend hours crafting the perfect title for a blog he has written–sometimes spending as much time crafting a title as writing the article itself. That is how important the skill has become.
But it makes sense.
In a world where billions of new pieces of media are being published every day, a headline may be the only opportunity you have to grab a potential reader’s attention. And your words are only helpful if they are read by someone else.
Choosing headlines and titles that can grab a person’s attention enough, to cause them to stop their lives to read what you wrote, is one of the most important skills for writing on the Internet.
That being said, I think it is important, from time to time, for all of us to take a step back and remember how hard websites are working to grab our attention to increase clicks and views. There are a number of different things a publisher can do to grab our attention—and not all of them are healthy for us as individuals or for us as a society.
For example, hysteria drives clicks (and viewers).
Manufacturing hysteria is not usually helpful or beneficial for a society. But websites and media outlets use it all the time to grab our attention.
It is, after all, more likely that we would click on a news article proclaiming the end of the world than an article reporting everything is going just fine.
I’ve been taking note of some of the headlines I’ve seen over the past few weeks. Here are just a couple:
Most Daunting Virus in Half a Century.
Virus Outbreak Sparks Toilet Roll Panic!
Bye-bye Handshakes.
Refugee Crisis Could Break the EU.
Investor Massacre May Be Near.
Mechanized Bots Amplifying Denialist Messages.
Bumblebees are Going Extinct.
Within each article, there is important news, and some of the information is certainly serious. Don’t misread what I am saying here.
But in almost every case above, the overstated hysteria of the headline is designed for one purpose: to grab attention and garner clicks.
Of course this might all be fine and good if the practice was not causing any harm. But the effect of constant overstated hysteria is not good for us as individuals or a society.
There are numerous studies connecting consumption of newscasts with anxiety—reflected in uncontrolled fear, physiological hyperarousal, sleeping difficulties, and fearful thoughts. Constant overstatement of the danger surrounding us is causing personal harm and division among us.
It is important to stay informed and I am not encouraging you to bury your head in the sand, ignoring world events. It is wise for each of us to read and stay educated on current happenings.
Additionally, I do suppose there is a chance, that at some point in the future, the world will end by some great catastrophe or political leader. At that point, hysteria will be warranted.
But at this point in time, from everything I can tell, most of the hysteria we see on websites and news channels is entirely manufactured for the purpose of grabbing attention and garnering clicks (or increasing viewership).
See through their manipulation. Your heart and soul will thank you for it.
Michelle says
Thank you for this!! I get so frustrated with the media hype and over emphasizing the negative. Yes, it is important to stay apprised of news, but even more important is for us to do our own research. I say no to unnecessary anxiety and fear!! Thanks you for this article and the reminder.
John says
It frustrates me sometimes that, as an online writer, I must leverage clever titles and subheadings to attract readers. Sometimes an article calls for a more artful title, but I know it won’t attract as much attention. In this way, I feel the Internet diminishes quality writing at times.
Laura says
Thank you for this! News is no longer news because it seems to evolved to chasing clicks. So frustrating! Great reminder to stop falling for the hysteria and maybe if we stop clicking on the bombastic rhetoric we can go back to just reporting facts.
Karla says
Thank you for this! I don’t think we should blow important information off but the fear and constant stream of updates are very overwhelming. I saw a headline the other day in our local paper that read “Rash of Break-ins Plague Staunton Businesses” …they’re making us think about illness in other news stories, too. It’s way too much. You’re right, headlines can really pull people in.
Shanda Gobeli says
Hi thanks for another wonderful article! I’m a stress coach and see how strongly media influences my clients attitude towards themselves and the world around them. Keep up the great work of shining the light of truth!
Connie says
This article is so true! Hysteria articles can make me so exhausted, living simply and peacefully is so much nicer. ?
Sue Hawkins says
I’ve made it a practice to disengage from the web on Sundays. It gives my brain a chance to re calibrate to what is good, beautiful and true. Thanks for sharing your wisdom. Much appreciated!
Tracy Davis says
This is so timely. I have recently been having panic attacks, and while they are unrelated to current events, I am discovering that consuming negative information is not conducive to my healing. Thank you for the reminder!
Rrose says
Yes! So true. I believe more people need to read this. Even in emergency situations, you never hear : please panic and cause chaos with your flight or fight instincts. Thank you for this article!
Dee Baker says
Thank you for your encouragement to calm, peaceful, and thoughtful living in a world of intentional chaos.