Clickbust ran today. That's the weekly newsletter that takes a headline and shows you the mechanics behind it. The one that got me this week was from a major news site. "Doctor reveals the one food you should never eat before bed." Classic pattern. Vague authority, singular secret, universal appeal. You know the drill.
What caught my eye was how many people shared it. Not because they believed it, but because they were annoyed by it. The share count was higher than the actual article views. That tells you something. People are more engaged by the act of calling something out than by the content itself. The outrage is the product.
I also noticed the comments. A few people defended the piece. "It's just a fun tip, lighten up." But that's the problem. It's never just one piece. It's the pattern. The same trick dressed up for every niche. Parenting, finance, health, productivity. The template is identical. Swap the noun.
Clickbusters like mine are a tiny pushback. But the real win is when you see someone stop and think about why they clicked. That's the shift. Not stopping the headlines. Changing how people read them.
Paul