Clickbait headlines like “The shocking truth about carrots that will change your life” and “You won’t believe what this woman did to her child” are, to put it mildly, annoying. They provide just enough ‘juicy’ information to keep the readers interested so they click on an article and visit a certain website. It’s got to a point when every time any Facebook user logs in, they’re more than likely bombarded with clickbait articles.
Luckily, Facebook has taken notice and will soon be implementing a new algorithm that will significantly reduce clickbait articles. Here’s how it will work: each article in a user’s news feed will be given a score based on how clickbait-like it sounds. Then, the algorithm that works like a spam filter, will sift through the words and phrases used and look for ones that are similar to those frequently used in clickbait headlines. The new algorithm will look at the domain level aside from the Facebook page, so those that post clickbait articles won’t be able to change URLs and create a page and continue spamming gain.
It will also track the amount of time Facebook users spend on an article after hey click on it: the less time they spend reading it, the more likely the story is a clickbait.
The goal is to show people the articles most relevant to them and reduce the stories that withhold or distort information.
The Wonderful World of Algorithms 