Discursive Strategies and Linguistic Marks in Clickbait Headlines

Abstract

Sensationalist headlines ─commonly referred to as clickbait (CB)─ depart from traditional journalistic conventions to function as a manipulative tool. They reflect an "interventionist, directive, and even imposing intent by the sender over the reader, both in the content choose to highlight and in the way they present it" (Robles Ávila, 2019, p. 266). This paper conducts a qualitative analysis of 300 sensationalist headlines shared on the social network X, sourced from the account Ahorrando Clickbaits (@ahorrandoclick1). The aim is to identify the linguistic and discursive strategies that characterize these headlines, as well as to determine the most frequent topics and the types of media employing this resource. The analysis identities four primary strategies: colloquialization of discourse, vageness, exaggeration, and the use of interactivity and intertextuality. These strategies manifest through specific linguistic markers. Regarding the topics covered, the headlines frequently focus on subjects commonly associated with sensationalist rhetoric, such as celebrity news, sports, and entertainment. However, they also address topics typically expected to be treated with seriousness and rigor, including health, economics, and business. Finally, the media outlets identified in this study encompass a wide range, from traditional media like ABC and El País to digital-native platforms such as Okdiario.