Clickbait Detection

The term clickbait refers to a form of web content that employs writing formulas and linguistic techniques in headlines to trick readers into clicking links, but does not deliver on its promises. Although media scholars and pundits consistently show clickbait content in a bad light, the industry based on this type of content has been rapidly growing and reaching more and more people across the world. The growth of clickbait industry appears to have noticeable impact on the media ecosystem, as many traditional media organizations have started to use clickbait techniques to attract readers and generate revenue. The key purpose of this project is to systematically quantify the extents to which traditional print and broadcast media as well as the "unreliable" media use clickbait properties in contents published on the web. We also aim to design and develop clickbait detection algorithms that can identify misleading clickbaits and thereby improve social media using experience.