Like many of y'all, I read a fair number of Lefty websites

[PCIntern]

and there’s one thing that is beginning to really irk me

I’m gonna preface this by saying that I understand that the poster/author/commentator makes money based upon the number of people who click onto the site. That being said, I find it increasingly annoying when the headlines are such verbiage as: TRUMP HAS COMPLETE MELTDOWN or THE WHITE HOUSE IN COMPLETE PANIC or TRUMP SCREAMS AT REPORTER WHEN QUESTIONED ABOUT EPSTEIN LIST.

Then, when you watch the video, after the individual leads with variations of the headline, followed by the rationale and entreaties to “leave a like”, subscribe, and how incredibly important it is to him or her and “will go a long way in maintaining this level of discourse”, video is shown which in no manner reflects a meltdown, panic, or screaming.


All of you know how I feel about this miscreant/criminal so you know that I’m not sugarcoating his lies and outright treasonous behavior, but the commentators are undermining their own credibility by basically presenting a carrot and not delivering, in many cases not even close.


Some of you may disagree with me and I understand that, but after a while I would suggest that many disappointed readers might stop clicking on the site because it isn’t delivering the equivalent of what the RW clickbait columns do deliver, albeit they are constituted mostly of lies and hysteria/poutrage. My assertion is that the authors on our righteous side should utilize language that accurately describes the content.

“I thank you for your attention to this matter”

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Fantasy drives the perception of reality

A QAnon pizza shop defined Hillary. Two can play the same game. Truth and facts are also an orientation. Get with the program.

[gab13by13]

2. What you post is true and I agree with it,

but remember, the right wing websites are even better at click bait.

I have seen a lot of headlines over the years declaring that Krasnov has had every illness known to mankind and is on his death bed.

The truth of matter is that Krasnov is 79 years old and without makeup (putty) he would look white as a ghost, and without curling his 5 hairs around his head he would be balder than a cue ball.

[Haggard Celine]

3. Yeah, I think I'm going to quit watching those videos.

As you say, the videos are usually nothing like the headlines. These commentators churn out a lot of content, but it's low quality.

[Lonestarblue]

4. I rarely watch videos here with headlines like the ones you cite.

Many of the headlines make claims that are mostly wishful thinking, which I understand because I wish they were true!

[jaymac]

28. thank you

to you and to all others who commented on this. very relevant and a good reminder. facts don't need to be shouted or hyped. this admin is bad enough, we don't have to be bombastic. again thanks for bringing this up.

[marble falls]

7. If the title is hyperbolic (PUTIN has PANIC ATTACK as the last Russian soldier IS KILLED!) or just over loaded ...

... with capital letters, I ain't watching it.

If it's a lefty operating out of his closet promising a video that they chop to pieces with repeated explanations of who or what we just saw followed by another fractional cut that could not stand alone and then wash and repeat. I drop that lefty.

I wish more were like Bryan Taylor Cohen.

[TNNurse]

23. YES! Any one that uses "Destroyed" or "Broke the Internet"

or other hyperbole is an automatic ignore for me.

[marble falls]

39. Makes me want to grit my teeth every time.

[Amaryllis]

46. Bombshell.

[Bev54]

62. It is not just bombastic headlines with little content there is now a lot of AI videos out there

under the pretense of bringing the real story of many subjects. I notice a lot of them around the tariffs with Canada that are citing absolute BS as facts. A simple google search will debunk most of their claims. I have found many many have popped up about the tariff situation with Canada making outrageous claims like Canada provides the US with 90% of their oil imports (60%) and 98% of electricity (2%-3%). I report everyone of them but new ones pop up daily, likely from the same sources. I only actually watch videos from sources I can trust but I will watch these others for just a minute or two so I can report them as misinformation to youtube.

[marble falls]

65. The amount of pure AI crap on youtube is astounding. whatever use of energy is needed to promulgate it is pure waste.

[Trueblue1968]

121. I dont watch videos on DU. I am on a tablet and videos dont work so good.

I think there are too many videos posted here in this category. I wish folks would post them in the video category. .....

I may not be posting a popular opinion but it's what I feel. One of these days I will be able to buy a computer and get off this cruddy little tablet.

[Haggard Celine]

123. I use a couple of Kindle Fires

to surf on DU as well as my phone. I hardly ever use my laptop. I think I'm saving it for a time that I really need one, God knows when. I don't know what kind of tablet you're using, but I never have trouble watching videos on my tablets. Those things are pretty cheap, so if you don't want to wait until you can get a computer, you should check them out.

[we can do it]

5. I couldn't agree more, it's making checking in here unbearable some days.

This along with continuing to rely on x-shits instead of actual discussion is disappointing at best.

[marble falls]

6. Just by viewing RW trash we contribute to their monetization on youtube.

[PCIntern]

10. This isn't right wing trash

I’m talking about individuals who share our perspective. They’re also looking for income, as are the rest of us. I’m not saying these people shouldn’t post, and they’re welcome to do anything. They like, I’m just making a statement About the enticement of the headlines.

[marble falls]

13. It's all part of the same pile of useless crap.

[Maggiemayhem]

71. Just don't read or watch:

You are giving Trump more power. Just in the last few days, he has threatened military action in Mexico, The Supreme Court is considering overturning gay marriage and Trump took over DC. This is more important than a video. FOCUS!!

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

8. I agree.

Not lefty (necessarily) websites, but I follow many leftys on Youtube. Here is a sample of buzzwords from the thumbnails today (Monday 8/11/25)-
Trump in panic mode
Trump calls emergency
Bernie drops HUGE announcement
Trump gets nightmare news
Fox News just stunned Trump
Paranoid Trump goes nuts

[EarlG]

9. I appreciate that you didn't present this as

a general attack on everyone who posts videos on DU, as others have done in the past.

I don’t disagree that the hyperbolic titles chosen by the people who create these videos (not by the people who post them on DU) are often annoying at best.

When they are re-posted on DU, posters typically try to preserve the original title, which (unless you’re posting in LBN) is not required, but in theory should be not be a problem.

However, the way modern videos are presented also often falls afoul of that age-old message board standard, which is “don’t post titles in all caps because it reads like you’re shouting at people.”

Of course this TACTIC is nowadays frequently DEPLOYED because it’s EFFECTIVE at grabbing ATTENTION. At the same time, it gets tiring to read after a while.

As always, my recommendation to avoid almost all of this is to simply trash the Liberal YouTubers forum, which is where 99% of these titles are posted. However, since that does not hide the video titles from the home page, it may be time for DU to request that these titles are “decapitalized” when re-posted, or even rewritten to ensure that the title matches the content of the video.

It might be difficult to explain this to people though — there isn’t a perfect enforcement method. I’ll have to keep thinking on it.

[RockCreek]

27. On the home page

Liberal YouTube and Cable news clips can take up the entire "new in Issue forums" feeds.
They do right now.
This prevents posts that are really issues from being seen easily
Perhaps they could have their own "New in media forums" section at the bottom of the "New in..." category.

[EarlG]

32. I think Liberal YouTubers is the biggest offender

The Cable News Clips forum mostly hosts short sections from stories that are featured on CNN, MSNBC, etc. so the headlines are usually no more sensationalistic than any other piece of news reporting you might see reposted on DU.

Liberal YouTubers, however, is almost entirely videos made by people whose livelihood is dependent on getting clicks and eyeballs on social media, and the titles of the videos often reflect that.

I'll consider removing Liberal YouTubers from the home page video selection, at least -- I don't think it would be technically difficult to do that, although I'll have to check. For other areas on the site though, like the Latest page, it seems to me that individual DUers can easily trash that forum themselves if they don't want to see the titles. I know that the sensationalistic video titles do crop up from time to time in other forums, but the vast majority of them appear to be in Liberal YouTubers.

[RockCreek]

56. I've blocked liberal youtubers

but haven't quite gotten to the point of blocking cable news clips, for the reasons you state. The feed is the only place I run across Liberal YouTubers anymore.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

97. I have to say, though, that there are some SHOCKINGLY AMAZING KILLER

videos under those ridiculously bombastic titles. Adam Mockler and Luke Beasley are two of the creators I like who present good content.

Adam usually presents shorter segments focused on a particular news event or topic vaguely related to the hyperbolic shoutline of the thumbnail. He's part of the Meidas Touch network (all of their videos also sport the annoying all caps, frantic, at best slightly accurate descriptors.)

Luke does this, too, in addition to his daily hourish-long, chatty, amusing live show for his subscribers that is later available for everyone. He reads out viewer comments and replies, and in doing this occasionally responds to complaints about the click-bait thumbnails--his always have his face in an exaggerated OMFG!!! expression--admittung they're silly but necessary for the almigjty algorithm.

I hate that that's true because it's another case of this modern generally hyperbolic, reality-twisting world, of which Felon 47 is the despicable, raging figurehead. But I get that these people understand the YouTube algorithm and see what drives engagement. Unfortunately it's not calm, accurate titles & thumbnails.

We cut the cable long ago & only have regular YouTube (premium to avoid the ads) and came across Luke & Adam's shows/podcasts. Like the Meidas Touch main channel, I avoided them because of the obnoxious thumbnails. But one day, out of curiosity, I took the bait and clicked. I was surprised to find worthwhile content.

I'm lousy at judging ages, but I believe both Adam & Luke are pretty young. Luke has told his age, which is 22, iirc. At the first few protests I attended this year--the first in the middle of a small college town even!--my friends & I were super disappointed that most of the attendees appeared to be Boomers. I saw almost no one who looked below 50. Hooray for the Boomers & everyone who protested, but it was so discouraging that very few of the younger people in town bothered to attend.

Adam Mockler & Luke Beasley, who both see the Pussy-Grabber-in Chief & his cult exactly as horrendous as they are give me hope. They have loads of subscribers & patrons. Seeing them wholeheartedly rejecting the MAGA movement and preaching it for all to see & hear is encouraging at a time when so much is crushingly disheartening.

[EarlG]

98. I'll be honest, I don't really know about the content

Because like a lot of other folks here, I’m turned off by the titles, which is a shame really. The techniques you have to use to get attention on social media don’t translate as well when you don’t have to yell to make yourself heard — on a site like DU it can come across as grating.

So I definitely understand why they do it, and I believe you when you say it’s good content, it’s just unfortunate that the attention-grabbing titles don’t translate well to our format.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

100. Right. I get it! As I mentioned, I despise manic, hyperbolic

everything, of which there is far too much in this world.

The main characteristics of my personal neuodiversity involve receiving light, sound, language, etc., as far more intense than is typical for most people. So, Youtube thumbnails with distorted images and language--screeching shoutlines & exaggerated facial expressions--are wildly offensive to me.

And there are almost certainly sources on Youtube for all of the newsworthy events that don't use those obnoxious shoutlines and possibly present the info in more direct ways or simply in ways more appealing to any particular person.

I just wanted to explain that good content is often to be found under those annoyingly hyperbolic thumbnails that unfortunately are helpful in getting more YouTube viewers, often young, energetic, politically engaged, anti-MAGA folks to watch that anti-Liar-in-Chief content.

I did just check out a few of those vids and found that there is often a subtitle or more factual description in the show notes below them, so maybe those could be added to the postings on DU?

[Trueblue Texan]

37. But if you get rid of that forum...

...won't the posters simply litter other forums with them? At least they are consolidated into one primary area now.

[EarlG]

64. I have no plans to get rid of the forum

Last edited Mon Aug 11, 2025, 12:50 PM - Edit history (1)

I’m suggesting that DUers use the Trash tool that we provide to prevent certain forums from being displayed on the main pages. That’s the best thing for people to do if they don’t like seeing the contents of certain forums.

Edited for clarity: Let me explain how to do this in case you or anyone else are unaware -- just go into the forum you don't want to see any more, and click the "Trash forum" button at the top of the page. You'll be taken to a page with two options, either:

Hide only
Selecting this option only hides the forum's discussions from the Latest Discussions, Greatest Discussions, and Latest Videos pages. The forum will still be displayed in the site navigation.

Or:

Full trash
Selecting this option hides the forum's discussions from the Latest Discussions, Greatest Discussions, and Latest Videos pages, and also removes the forum entirely from site navigation.

If you want to restore a forum that you've previously trashed, you can manage everything you're currently trashing at My DU > Trash Can

[love_katz]

122. Thank you for your well reasoned discussion of this issue.

I'm also turned off by the over the top headlines which usually don't deliver anything close to what they promise. However, I keep in mind that the people who are producing the content do need to earn a living because they need to eat and pay their bills.
Thank you for showing me how to trash and/or un-trash a forum. I wasn't aware that we could do that. I really appreciate your work on creating and maintaining this site. DU feels like extended family to me.
I really like the Liberal YouTubers forum, because I would rather search through the posts here, rather than on YouTube where I have to watch endless annoying ads to get the same content. And, if the screaming header seems over the top, I will often choose to read the comments to get an idea of the content and decide if I want to try watching or not. If I feel that what has been posted is useless clickbait, then I just turn it off and keep scrolling.
I live on a fixed income, so paying for a subscription to YouTube is an expense that I prefer to avoid.
Thank you, EarlG and Elad for all the work you do to provide this wonderful site for us. I know that my membership is coming due this month. You can count on me to renew it.
Hugs to all.

[JoseBalow]

95. Would be nice if ignored users/forums didn't appear on Home page

[EarlG]

99. It would be nice, but

unfortunately it’s not possible at the moment due to the way the home page is constructed. It would cause too much server stress to update the home page contents on the fly for each individual user.

[chia]

106. Thank you, I hadn't thought to trash the Liberal YouTubers Forum, so now I've done exactly that.

[jfz9580m]

116. Ah that makes sense

When they are re-posted on DU, posters typically try to preserve the original title, which (unless you’re posting in LBN) is not required, but in theory should be not be a problem.

I did wonder..because it’s not in keeping with the posting style of some of the posters. DUer Rhiannon for example. That’s not really her personal style. I wondered why she had been posting more of those since the election and was hoping Trump isn’t driving everyone around the bend.

lol..that makes much more sense..

Trump era disinhibition has affected me certainly but well..in my case it’s healthier than the life of quiet desperation circa Trump 1..;-/.

I dislike social media and Trump eras are usually times when some venting helps..

[BoRaGard]

11. PCIntern explodes in wild, lathered-up, norm-shattering rant

[markodochartaigh]

31. *EXPLODES!!!

IN WILD!!! LATHERED UP!!! NORM-SHATTERING RANT!!!!!!!

[FakeNoose]

80. That's a video I WOULD watch

Just sayin'

[Callie1979]

127. "BREAKING!!!"

[Hornedfrog2000]

12. Yeah, it gets old

A poster was just celebrated here who posts these videos nonstop on here. Does she get paid for it??? I mean why else would you post this stuff day in and out? It does not help our cause.

[Omnipresent]

14. The Meidastouch network does that shit all the time.

[LeftInTX]

69. Too much clickbait.

[Omnipresent]

72. Yessir!

I tried to find one episode, where they were showcasing an “outlier poll” showing Kamala up by 5 points in Florida before the election.
Another poster here ask me to send a link for it, so I ended up finding the episode, but that part was conveniently edited out.

There was a lot of hype in the last election cycle about Kamala possibly winning in a landslide, and they were a big part of it. I just think it’s wrong that a perceived allie would falsely mislead their own.

[LeftInTX]

81. I think they came on the scene in 2020? I kinda liked them, but they were a bit Over the Top.

So, they get a base following. Then over time, they "change". I think it's about clicks and $$$$$.

I see things like that on FB. You might follow something for some reason, then over time, they change because $$$$.

I think YouTube also has a few channels like that. You might watch it because of some hobby and then over time it delves into something else....

So if they are doing clickbait, they really aren't an ally.

[onlyadream]

93. This is the reason I stopped watching Midas Touch

I’m already so disappointed, I don’t need more.

[MiHale]

15. Can't waste my time on 10 minute videos...

That I could read in probably a minute and receive nothing of value.

I don’t click on any of them.

[CrispyQ]

47. Why don't we put AI to good use & provide us a transcript of EVERY video?

Granted, I don't know how closed caption is created, but it seems like half the job is done with the CC feature, so why not generate a text file from that?

[MiHale]

54. Some YouTube videos have it done...

Just gotta find it.

[DBoon]

84. Maybe the person posting the video should find the transcript and include it in the post

[MiHale]

85. All for it...and to be fair...

I have seen some do it.

[SalviaBlue]

53. I rarely watch videos. Like you, I feel like it's a waste of time.

I much prefer to read about an issue… that’s why I’m here at DU and not on YouTube getting my news and opinion.

[MiHale]

55. 👍

[Dave Id]

16. Be aware of sensational headlines

For the most part I find the sensational click bait stories relatively easy to spot and don't waste my time with them. As you, I find it annoying when I do click on an informative video the presenter asks the viewer to like and subscribe.

[AllyCat]

17. Yes! This sensationalism makes me cringe and NOT read it.

[LovelyStuff]

18. Totally agree . . .

And I have stopped clicking on a lot of stuff. The screaming, puffed up headline annoys me no end and I tend to ignore sites that use those type of blurbs.

[orangecrush]

19. I like Meidas

And despite the headers, most times there is good content and in depth coverage the MSM skips.

They actually beat Fox on YouTube for subscribers, quite a feat.

[cilla4progress]

58. I agree, it's great content.

I do find the headlines overly bombastic, however.

[Crowman2009]

20. Yeah, especially the ones titled "Trump has really lost it this time" and I think...

...when has he ever had it?

So I'm not going to watch anything like that until Ronald McDonald and Coca-Cola finally send the Orange Ass clown six feet under. Not to mention compilation videos of crying MAGA afterwards.

[mcar]

21. It drives me crazy too

Every breathless headline is dramatic and self-serving. I've tried reading some of those site's posts and it's the same thing, subscribe, subscribe, subscribe.

I don't get why they're so popular.

[Crowman2009]

22. I'm pretty much only watching clips of either progressive YouTubers who don't pull that BS...

...or they have an actual talk radio program in which they take calls.

[CaptainTruth]

24. Agree 100%.

I've totally stopped clicking on posts with clearly sensationalist headlines.

[FakeNoose]

25. Yes it's extremely irksome and it's also the main reason why I'm avoiding these podcasts

The headline writing is for the birds, and that's putting it nicely.

[OneGrassRoot]

26. Same. So much so that I'm refraining from perusing sites now. It's a sensory overload leading to disappointment. n/t

[cachukis]

29. Payed attention.

[JustAnotherGen]

30. In Complete Total Agreement

That Meidas site/podcast is one of the worst offenders.

The magapubs are not destroyed - until they are destroyed.

And this Admin? They aren't afraid of anything except the Epstein Files.

[CentralMass]

33. I agree that the video names are bs but I find them to be entertaining althoigh I seldom watch them in entirety.

I also call them out in the comments.

[Trueblue Texan]

34. I absolutely agree!

This click baity crap is akin to a certain political party spamming for contributions. (an article on here earlier in the week tells who is the main culprit in that spamming scheme). It takes away credibility, wastes peoples time, and distracts our attention from the truly horrible policies and human rights violations we are seeing everyday.

[Klaus Hergersheimer]

35. Very irritating

I don't know how many times I've seen 'This will end Trump' only to find out the content of the post has nothing to do with the demise of the Trump dictatorship. We do not need to be conned into accessing a fact based web site. Just give us factual info.

[markodochartaigh]

36. I'm old.

These shock headlines turn me off. I do sometimes watch the video depending on the presenter and the actual content.

BUT. I have no idea what young people actually find interesting, or what attracts their attention. The future is not me, the future is young people. And Meidas and several other presenters are doing an "EXCELLENT" job of getting views from young people. I support them doing whatever is necessary to educate and energize the coming generations.

[kirby]

38. Clickbait does not work on me...

Complete turnoff and I refuse to click, read, or view those articles/videos.

[BoRaGard]

42. That's what they all say. Until...

the right bait comes along...

[jmbar2]

40. If the clickbait vid has useful info, please summarize the punchline so we don't have to watch it.

A lot of folks here are genuinely trying to keep up with fast-moving news that impacts our lives directly. If there is something in the clickbait vid relevant to us, please take one for the team, watch it yourself, and let us know if there is anything we really need to know.

[Escape]

41. BREAKING NEWS!!!.....

is often three day old gossip.

Many of the vids are Carnival Barking and, in response to that, I now ignore ALL of the vids.

[JMCKUSICK]

43. My friend Tracy sends me those links

multiple times a day. I avoid clicking on ones that tend to lean towards hyperbole like Legal AF.
I'm not picking on them, just remembering the author's penchant for exaggerated content in those videos.

[themaguffin]

44. I hate the clickbait so much. Such headlines are non-starters for me. This includes Raw Story & MeadasTouch

[Ferrets are Cool]

45. So, would you rather they have mundane titles and DIE ON THE VINE?

Because that is what will happen if they do not feed the algorithm. These sites serve a crucial service to our community and we should be willing to overlook a titillating headline and support them with a CLICK. It doesn't cost a thing.

[cilla4progress]

59. Good to know!

Meidas is up over Rogan now - a good thing!

Left-wing podcast MeidasTouch dethrones Joe Rogan: Sign of culture shift? https://share.google/3JjZHJI4s3wIyEM0U

[hunter]

86. Yes, I would rather.

I don't think watching videos leads to thoughtful political discourse or effective political action.

It's a passive activity.

As a nation we've fallen to such a low place we can ask without hyperbole, "What would Harriet Tubman do?"

[Ferrets are Cool]

129. We disagree.

Most of us can do both, and I CERTAINLY do not want to get my information from MSM.

[Festivito]

48. My hyperbole meter now has a special cutoff for clickbait. nt

[Escurumbele]

49. You are 100% correct. I dislike those very much as well, to an extent that I don't ever click on them again.

[Martin Eden]

50. K&R, wholeheartedly agree!

It's gotten to the point where I often don't bother clicking on any video thread with that kind of headline.

[hunter]

51. I don't watch any news, opinion, or political videos...

... not on my computers, not on my television, and certainly not on my cell phone.

I see nary a mention of most, having blocked the most common sources as spam.

That's how much they irritate me.

[Ocelot II]

52. Sometimes every post on my feed has a red square,

which means there aren't any OPs that I actually want to read because I'm not going to waste my time on videos with tendentious, overwrought headlines that consist of some rando discussing some news item I already knew about and trying to blow it up into a big deal. There used to be a separate forum for videos; what happened to it? I'd love to see all OPs with videos sent automatically to a video forum and not posted in GD at all.

[intrepidity]

90. As EarlG suggested above, it may be best to trash that forum

(LiberalYouTubers) just the partial trash so it doesn't show in your Latest (etc) but still shows as a link in list of forums in case you want to deliberately go there. It will declutter your main pages.

I share the frustration at all the red boxes.

[wiggs]

57. I'm not clicking on those much anymore, agree. BTW...It's what online Fox's front page looks like every day. nt

[Wounded Bear]

60. Superlatives and hyperbole drive clicks...

Subtlety and innuendo have been killed by the internet. You can see it in how trump talks. Always with adjectives and superlatives. trump is an old boomer infected with internet speak.

[BluesRunTheGame]

61. Nice meltdown, Hitler...

I agree with everything you said. This has bothered me for a long time.

On the other hand, I’m pretty sure it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

[Brainstormy]

63. Back in the day

they called it "yellow journalism."

[LeftInTX]

66. I respond, "I just checked. He's still alive and hasn't melted yet".

I only wanna see past tense!

Sometimes, I get "But he's gonna melt or die any day now"....

One my of favorites, "Republican (but you least favorite politician) is destroyed". (Trump is destroyed. Greg Abbott is destroyed. Mike Johnson is destroyed. Jasmine Crockett destroys MTG".) Then when get check that person isn't destroyed,

I wanna see them destroyed

Poof, gone As in atomic bomb gone! As in coffin gone!

Like when I destroy a roach.....

Also, most of the time it comes from RawStory, which has a stupid paywall now.

[GoodRaisin]

67. I scroll on past most of the threads marked with that little red box.

It’s a great feature.

[people]

68. AGREED

[Hekate]

70. I've tried a few and regretted it thoroughly, like eating a very bad mystery-meat pie...

Worse, the practice is an infestation akin to cockroaches (ever live in the subtropics? ) and degrades the DU board. People have started posting a title and single shot from X or Blue Sky with no explanation.

Let me repeat: it degrades our own board. I don’t come here for that.

[PatrickforB]

73. Yeah, I no longer fall for click bait. n/t

[summer_in_TX]

74. Thanks, EarlG, and PCIntern!

Great discussion. I have never been able to get more than a minute or so into the few of the overwrought videos before they trigger my "Abort, Will Robinson, abort!" safeguard.

I didn't understand how to trash a forum I wasn't interested in until EarlG's response. Goodbye to Liberal YouTubers.

[azureblue]

75. and the RW / MAGA / Fox

Youtube vids / websites don't? LOL
Instead of critiquing LW sites, spend your time posting hard facts on their haunts, and using their tactics against them. Especially Fox Youtube vids..

[dem4decades]

76. I try not to click on anything YouTube, once in a while I click by mistake and I'm pissed at myself, and close the page.

It's bullshit, a rehashed story from a few days ago with sensationalist headlines. No thanks.

[Bluesaph]

77. I'm sick of it too!!

I am to the point where I am blocking certain sites that lead with a headline that has nothing to do with the content.

[OC375]

78. Gen X

Everything going on now just confirms what I observed throughout my formative 70's, 80's and 90's years - media is almost all B.S. with an agenda. I don't trust most media, blogs, journalists, self-declared journalists, former attorney generals/cops/admirals/deputy directors of whatever, with a blog/editorial column/talking head show, to not try and drive my perception to their ends. It don't believe they really want me to think... just do.

[NNadir]

79. Over in the E&E forum I frequent, the word "BREAKTHROUGH!!!" has been used for years.

Years ago 90% of the time it followed the word "SOLAR," and still does although less frequently.

Now - in what I personally regard as fossil fuel greenwashing possibly funded by the fossil fuel industry - "SOLAR" is often replace by "HYDROGEN."

This really isn't all that new but over time one knows what's coming just by famiarity with the source, which may be a particular DU poster or a particular website in the link. It is annoying but after a few clicks on gets a sense of what to ignore.

We all want to be heard, and I try to be generous and tolerant of hyperbole to the extent I can be.

We live in times where one needs increasingly to sift through a lot of chaff to find grain.

To be perfectly honest, I find myself wishing that the clickbait were true. I certainly wish all of the clickbait about the ultimate inevitable triumph of Hillary/Kamala had been true.

The value of growing old is the erosion of one's credulity. I have spent my life trying to develop critical thinking, while understanding that sometimes I fail at the effort.

My wife sometimes asks me to do political soothsaying. If she presses me, I tell her to remember I predicted a Kerry landslide.

[Martin68]

82. I too have complained about the obnoxious hyperbole employed as clickbait on so many videos. I just don't click on

anything that uses inane language like "compete meltdown," "destroyed!," etc. It's always a guaranteed disappointment and a complete waste time.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

83. HOLY SHIT! PCIntern GOES APESHIT IN DIATRIBE AGAINST LEFTIST WEBSITES!!11!

Or,, not quite. Please press the "Like" and "Subscribe" buttons below.

[PCIntern]

94. Very funny

U win the thread!!!

[SCantiGOP]

87. As a rule,

I don’t click on videos with !!! or capital letters.
In fact, I ignore all videos here unless they are from a source I already follow.
I put the posters on Ignore, but that doesn’t keep their content from showing up.

[frogstar0]

88. YES! Stop with the BS headlines!

I for one, do not even click for the most part if they have a ridiculous headline. And if they have no text explaining what they are talking about I do not watch if it is a video.

[slingsam]

89. I no longer click on sensational headlines

I, no longer click on articles pronouncing these dramatic events that have always turned out to be tame incidents. It also irks me no end when the talking head is always on camera during the presentation which, I think is shameless self promotion.

I do rely on this board for unbiased opinion and I don't believe we need to ape the old Drudge Report, who always treated all headlines with steroids.....which seems to have disappeared from the Conservative ether.

I corroborate all articles by looking for a supporting information.

I despise the fact......that Fake News (invented by Don Dumbass) has become the norm....and AI is not helping.
Just one opinion, of course.

[ejbr]

91. Same

I've stopped viewing as many YouTube videos because of this. Can't take the disappointment

[OnionPatch]

92. I immediately delete

Any email or text that sounds hysterical like that. We have a governor race this fall and emails from the Dem always hint that it’s neck to neck. It’s not. Our candidate is comfortably ahead. It’s demeaning and insulting to have someone try to manipulate you with fear. That’s what republicans do.

[3Hotdogs]

96. My favorite gripe are the ones about China's economic collapse.

By next week, I expect China to petition the U.S. for a loan of $8t. 1 year payback at 82% interest.

[Shermann]

101. Yellow journalism is nothing new

It used to be that all the tabloids were put together on one stand so you could pay it no mind if you weren't looking for it. Now the clickbait garbage is mixed in with the quality videos and the ratings system is only exacerbating the problem.

I guess we have to get back to the days when not everybody gets to be a content creator. There has to be a bar.

[SouthBayDem]

103. The Internet shifted the definition of attention economy.

It was foretold in 1997 by Michael H. Goldhaber:

Cyberspace affords new opportunities for capturing attention that might otherwise dissipate. It promises nearly everyone a chance at attention from millions, the potential to be noticed by the largest possible audience - or by an audience of peers whose attention we value most. But the Net also ups the ante, increasing the relentless pressure to get some fraction of this limited resource. At the same time, it generates ever greater demands on each of us to pay what scarce attention we can to others.

Clickbait is a reflection on what we are as a society. If we want less clickbait, WE need to show media companies it's in their business interest not to abuse the "Viewers Are Morons" trope.

[Midwestern Democrat]

109. With each passing year, I'm agreeing more and more with the following sentiment expressed by Aaron Sorkin:

"I am all for everyone having a voice; I just don't think everyone has earned the microphone. And that's what the Internet has done".

[Laffy Kat]

102. I agree 100%.

There are a couple worse than the others. Watching the content after reading the "headline" is always a disappointment. That is one reason I don't spring for membership on the sites, I only subscribe.

[madamesilverspurs]

104. Yep, the Tabloid Aisle

Like at the grocery store, I glance at the overblown headlines, shake my head, and move on.


.

[tmars505]

105. come here. no headlines or clickbait

https://www.facebook.com/tommy.marshall.3979/

[PCIntern]

107. Nice site. I'll bookmark it. Thanks!

Good job!

[Skittles]

108. FATAL MISTAKE!

omfg

[jfz9580m]

113. One thing I am grateful to Trump for

Ha! Made you look!
I have clickbait skillz .

But I am glad that Trump’s ridiculous posts made my dad finally realize how silly using all caps looks. I told him italics are fine for emphasis. I bet he still uses all caps though..old habits die hard. One nice thing about not having kids is that no one has to cringe at the things one does.

Hi Skittles..

[Skittles]

114. no kids here either

I'm the eternal bad kid

(disclaimer, I have been known to GO HEAVY ON THE CAPS)

[jfz9580m]

115. Nah

It’s all part of the distinctive Skittles style when you do it .

You pull off many things other people can’t and my dad definitely can’t. He just sounds like Trump when he does it 🙄.

[Skittles]

117. awwww shucks

[Cirsium]

110. Grifters

So many grifters. They are not allies.

[GAJMac]

111. For God's sake

YES!!!

[jfz9580m]

112. There are 3 distinct kinds of political engagement online

There’s the stuff I come here for which I hope isn’t entirely dying out: 1) anonymous left leaning posters who feel passionately about some topic or the other or 2) impassioned grassroots activists.

I am in the first group (too lazy for activism-it was a lot of work the one time I tried it…standing around in bad weather collecting signatures ;-/..I respect that but it’s a lot of work).
It was the environment for me. That’s why I joined DU. It reminds me of the web version of my mom sending letters to the editor (which rarely got published ;-/).

The environment is an unpopular topic greenwashing aside. Marion Nestle was told to never disparage meat, sugar etc in her time at the HHS if I remember correctly. Similarly overpopulation is off-limits - that’s strictly taboo in polite society which works out well both for Cato and Koch as well as for Nazis, racists, eugenics types, fundies, other sexists and classists since they can exploit the vacuum left to talk about it in explicitly in sexist/racist/classist or deceptively mercenary terms. That last is the Cato style momboss/supermom bs that gets pushed on social media.

We should have been encouraging discussions of voluntary family planning from the time infant mortality rates started dropping due to modern medicine. It’s a major driver of climate change.

But apparently it’s a binary issue and nothing is an option except coercive sterilization or “people should have as many kids as they want and environmental impact is taboo”.

Critical thinking is something we excel at as a society clearly. And can’t ever point out that the food/green revolution thing is an outdated straw-man. We simply don’t produce non-bullshit jobs, doctors or teachers at the rate at which we produce babies. It’s tied to rising extremism and has other ineffable effects etc..

Anyway, Trump and RFK are doing their bit for “old-fashioned population control” I suppose..no vaccines, no gun control..I guess that’s one way to do it. Very retro and therefore clearly fashionable.

Besides I think war is an industry that requires human life to be cheap (which is what happens in practice with overpopulation though that part is left unsaid). Such connection making is bad for too many industries to be popular. Besides all discourse should be inclusive of our fine war profiteers who work hard to ensure there is enough cannon fodder.

But I digress..sorry..hobby horse..

The third is a phenomenon that social media probably caused an explosion of. That type of poster (where human) belongs to the class of people who by profession are formally influencers, political consultants etc.

That’s a totally different type of thing and would be closer to clickbait. Not necessarily. You can find quality stuff of that kind possibly. But as a rule it is a more commercial operation.

You appear to be referring to that..not that normal posters don’t post that way online. It’s my dad’s speciality. Thanks to Trump he has finally realized that using all caps is not considered cool 🙄. I showed him how to use italics for emphasis instead on messaging apps.

[TalenaGor]

118. yeah thats annoying AF

[Montauk6]

119. Meanwhile the Reich Wing Noise Machine puts out BS that's TOTALLY false

Like where the Obamas are breaking up and, that golden oldie, Hunter Biden's laptop.

Y'all remember Bartcop (RIP)? I fondly remember his running gag in his columns about Paul Harvey banging horses. Now, from what I can recall ('sbeen a while), I think what got that started was his reaction to Harvey making derogatory conjecture about Bill and Hillary Clinton's marriage at the time. Maaaan, can you imagine BC letting loose against today's creatures?

[Beartracks]

120. Right? When I see a headline using "so-and-so DESTROYED," I fully expect...

... to never, ever see or hear of the person in question ever again. Anything less means it's just false-promise clickbait.

==================

[Jack Valentino]

124. Well, when Trump posts on Lies Social in ALL CAPS, that is SCREAMING

by internet definition.....


but I hear what you're saying about exaggeration in headlines....

[iemanja]

125. It's ubiquitous

and I can’t stand it. I prefer the YouTube channels that don’t use click bait. The Bulwark and Pod Same America are better than some others.

[Oeditpus Rex]

126. I particularly enjoy

their use of "literally," as in "DRUMPF LITERALLY EXPLODES!!!" and the like.

I'd pay some serious cash to see that.

[Callie1979]

128. RW pages do worse, post blatant lies to get you to click to read it

Then of course the BREAKING story isnt there as promised but they got the click!