News of the World

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Click-Bait as Art

Click-bait is seen as an obstruction of progress. It has no express purpose other than to fool readers using a combination of sensationalism, confusion and ridiculous exaggeration. In the world of journalism, click-bait is the enemy. It is branded as ‘yellow-journalism,’ and is, in a credible industry, an element that should be uprooted and removed immediately.

 

However, in the world of art, something that conveys negative principals, something offensive or deceptive, has immeasurable value. It may be obscene, but I would argue that click-bait, in the right context, is a form of art. Here’s why:

 

Art is about many things. It evokes emotions, it educates the viewer, it showcases fragments of reality that otherwise would go unnoticed. Click-bait does all of this, and it does all of this exceptionally well. It might not be a typical art form. It’s not a pretty picture, or an epic ballad. Click-bait is a culmination of several non-traditional art forms; many of which are more of an acquired taste.

 

Different styles of art might actually focus on aspects that, in most contexts, are negative. The over-exaggeration of click-bait is an excellent example of caricature. The stretching of the truth, the actual ‘bait,’ is in some senses surrealism. In a way, it could even be characterized as a medium for propaganda (one of my favourite forms of art).

If you have some level of distance from the initial overwhelming emotions of confusion and irritation, click-bait could be seen as a beautiful form of trickery. It eternally poses the philosophical question of why? Why did I click on this? Why is there a demographic for this? Why does this even exist? Click-bait might actually beget a renaissance in critical thinking, and wouldn’t that be cool.

 

In some circles, click-bait is already recognized as a clear satire. There are numerous websites entirely dedicated to using click-bait as humor. Among these sites is ClickHole, a 3-year-old subdivision from The Onion that parodies websites like Buzzfeed or Upworthy.

 

While some content ClickHole produces is meant to initially deceive readers until they read a few paragraphs, something like: “Inspiring: This Non-Profit Helps Former Prisoners Find Jobs By Covering Up Their Face Tattoos With Business Tattoos.” Many other articles are blatant mockeries of the typical click-bait headlines: “7 Things You Have To Do While Attending Your Own Funeral In Disguise.”

VR Journalism

VR Journalism

"Experience the 2018 Olympics in Virtual Reality" boasts a CBC article published less than two days ago. For all those die hard Olympic hopefuls that just couldn't make it to PyeongChang in time for the opening ceremonies, have no fear. It's 'unbelievably easy,' as one interviewee quotes, or as others put it, 'the easiest VR app I've used in my entire life.'

Those currently spectating the VR Olympics have the privilege of doing so in real-time. It's live footage. The user reports mention beautiful, breathtaking worlds, all just slightly pixelated versions of the real thing. Terrific open stages where you can get terrifyingly close to the action.

But what will VR bring to journalism, other than having an easily accessible teleportation device in your home? The news is now directly in the centre of your living room. Not the radio, not the tv, but the actual experience. Foreign conflicts, natural disasters, weather; it's interactive, immersive and intimate. It's the futuristic, new way of the news.

                                                      

This feature isn't exclusive to world-class gymnasts or hurdlers, VR can relocate you just about anywhere that exists, and especially places that don't. From the first-person prospective of a video game hero to a mediocre and menial pacing stroll, along any area covered in google maps. VR is all about prospective, and the growing trend seems to indicate that this prospective might become our go-to for gathering information on the world around us.

VR systems already have several apps that mimic video calling software, like FaceTime. What could possibly adapt from this is a streaming service that connects users with up close versions of the prominent people of the world. Face-to-face presidential speeches. 360 scopes of celebrity scandals. Even live band performances, for the musically inclined. There's worlds of possibility.

Virtual reality is seeing the unseen. But it's more than just that. It's moving, climbing, the ability to walk on water or through walls. It's an entirely new angle of something that might already be well known. It's an inside scoop. A new frontier.

The "Facebook" Effect: Just Status Quo

The "Facebook" Effect: Just Status Quo

Facebook has an algorithmic formula for society; a system where personalized and emotionally sensitive data is categorized and sold to advertisers. A system that methodologically treats the human element, human lives, as a limited resource to be traded and bartered with. Rejecting this sort of system is the intuitive human response, but, as in many cases, the intuitive human response is one of fear. Fear is usually wrong.

Of course, there is the inevitable argument to be had that pits maximizing overall human happiness with the potential loss of freedom or personality. We see Facebook as a shadowy figure, silently micromanaging our online experience, taking most of the control out of our hands explicitly for profit. Like most people, we have an inveterate desire to acknowledge the presence of control in our own lives. It makes us feel empowered; it makes us feel truly conscious. The more influence we have, the more conscious we feel.

What's in our best interest? It might be to set aside how we feel about our interests altogether. Just because Facebook manages our interests for us, doesn't mean our interests don't exist. Facebook isn't stealing anything away from us that we already have, just, as some feel, what we might potentially see.

The internet serves two very primary functions. It services our desire to be entertained, and it services our desire to be informed. In modern times, it might be necessary to combine the two, although, at what expense.

Facebook manipulates what we see into what they think we want to see

This algebraic recommendation process might not align with what we actually want. The alternative to their guiding hand sorting out all the junk for us, is to drown in it all. In this respect, they're right. The substantial conflict here is, simply, that it works too well.

The news you see on a timeline feed caters to you. That means your sports teams, your political parties, your television shows. You only see what is relevant to you; this is what maximizing human happiness is all about. There is a clear bubble effect that happens. We are only presented with information that agrees with our own, already established identities; conformation bias.

I would argue that without these algorithms, we would still actively seek out information that confirms our beliefs, and ignore information that we don't agree with. It would just take significantly longer. There are other benefits of analytics. The news you see on a timeline feed caters to your location, your friends (the ones who are better than just ordinary acquaintances) and your interests, even if they are just some form of confirmation bias.

We have a desire to be entertained, and a desire to be informed. In modern times, it might be necessary to combine the two. But we shouldn't worry about the mixture. Facebook can do that for us.