Кликбейтинг как фактор создания ложного нарратива в политическом медиадискурсе

Abstract

The article is devoted to a very important problem – mass media clickbait possessing great potential in controlling the readers’ attention, precise information control and design of narrative space. The given study is urgent due to a wide usage in the modern mass media of various phenomena which spring up in response to the challenges of our time, and specifically the shift of the focus of narration and the emergence of new forms of information presentation. The aim of the article is to study the phenomenon of clickbait in the light of the theories of post-truth, fake news and pseudo-narrative as their material realization, as a tool of completion and a form of existence. The term “clickbait” is used to mean: 1) news headlines appealing to the reader’s curiosity; 2) the content the task of which is to lead the reader to a certain page; 3) the content that raises the traffic statistics of a page; 4) a form of advertisement of certain content on social networks. On the example of clickbait headlines in the online edition of The Guardian it has been shown that clickbait performs the mediating, attracting and leading functions. Such properties of clickbait as sensational nature, originality and efficiency in attracting attention have made clickbait a popular instrument of manipulating the readers’ consciousness. Nevertheless, the article poses a question about the dual nature of clickbait which primarily serves as a means of singling out the necessary material from the general information flow. The literature cited in the article reflects the modern view of the problem under study not only in domestic but also in foreign linguistics, which gives a clear idea about the level of scientific development of the topic.