If you managed to get past the gif, you already discovered that this article has nothing to do with 2017. Instead, it has everything to do with click-bait.Click-bait are those titles that immediately captures your attention since it promises an interesting story but once the article is read or the video is watched, you realize the title has absolutely nothing to do with the content.

You have been deceived.

Now you have a decision to make, do I stay or do I go?

You think: The title is irrelevant but I still want to know what is actually happening.

Or you think: This was a waste of my time.

There is a lot of click-bait out there in the world, some of them being in thumbnails but I will just focus on YouTube titles since they seem to make or break the amount of views YouTubers receive.

So, if a YouTuber decides to make a blog about their cat, they could title it, “The Adventures of Marley and Me” (assuming the cat’s name is Marley even though most people would think of a dog) or it could be titled, “My Cat Slays!” But those titles are not considered since the YouTuber comes up with a much better one.

"My Cat: The Sexy Predator"

My example may seem a little over dramatic, but take a look at these click-bait titles that I found on YouTube. This is not meant to make these YouTubers look bad or to slander their channel, it is just to show how prominent click-bait titles are and how dramatic they can be.

• “GETTING SHOT BY A SNIPER RIFLE! –Salty
• “I GOT CAUGHT CHEATING!” –TpindellTV
• “I GOT STABBED IN THE FACE! (NOT CLICKBAIT) –Lance Stewart
• “THE CRINGIEST KID TO LIVE ON THE ENTIRE PLANET!” LeafyisHere
• “BABY PUPPY GOES INSANE! –Wassabi Production
• “WORLD’S LARGEST ICE CREAM SUNDAE’S” –CaseyNeistat
• “PEWDIEPIE IS DEAD!” –PewDiePie

Besides the capital words and the exclamation points, all of these titles have in common a level of exaggeration that easily tricks the brain. YouTube was not always built off of click-bait but due to how it evolved, it has been more difficult for beginners to get views so they started turning to click-bait as a way to get the attention they needed to popularize their channel. One of the biggest changes that strongly impacted YouTubers is the removal of video responses.

Video responses allowed YouTubers to attach videos from other YouTubers right underneath their video. A lot of popular video bloggers attached videos from new creators in order to give the newcomer to the site more recognition. It was a great system since it helped YouTubers like Chris Sanders, a gamer, get promoted which eventually helped him gain more subscribers. Since the creators removed it, other methods had to be taken in order to get viewers which is where the click-bait titles came in along with the strange yet interesting screen shots.

But, that is not the only problem affecting the success of channels. This year, there has been a YouTube glitch that has been removing active subscribers off of various channels. Even when there is no video uploaded, subscribers would mysteriously be removed. When the creators were contacted about the problem, they would admit there was a problem but then reply back with a statement saying they did not find a problem.

According to SocialBlade, a website that calculates the amount of subscribers YouTubers gain and the amount they lose, PewDiePie lost 602,977 subscribers on June 28, 2016 and on that same day Jacksepticeye lost 238, 202 subscribers. Some YouTubers are not too happy with the fact that the creators are addressing the problem with no sense of urgency, adding truth to the statement “YouTube does not cater to YouTubers.”

With these two viral issues, it makes sense that click-bait would be relied upon. Click-bait is tolerable to most so it shouldn’t be banned or protested against, however, there should be some limitations to avoid being offensive. By offensive, I mean titles that have something to do with rape or kidnapping when the YouTuber never had that experience. It makes the audience concerned when there really is no need to be and it also mocks lived experiences of victims of rape and victims of abuse.

Example: “CRAZY CLOWN RAPES FAMILY(MUCH WATCH)” –KingHarris

There is no rape going on in that video, just somebody rambling about the recent clown sightings. In the description, after KingHarris mentions that we are expecting to see a family get raped he states “Well, you’re one f**ked up person, but so am I.” Regardless of the intentions of people who click on the video, it is good that he mentioned that he himself is f-ed up for possibly adding to the fear already installed in people from the frightening stories being spread about the clowns who are supposedly going around harming children. His video represents the wrong way to use click-bait. Also, if stories involving rape and stalking are actually true, many YouTubers add at the end of the title, “Not Clickbait”. This is a way just to give their stories validation, which they shouldn’t have to do.

The fate of click-bait will most likely rely upon the creators and the President of YouTube. If YouTubers had more ways to advertise their videos then click-bait wouldn’t be utilized as frequently. Until the voices of the site's content creators start to matter again, desperate measures or desperate titles I should say, will continue to be taken.