Trust and credibility of digital news An analysis of clickbait headlines’ impact on curiosity and credibility of news.

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to assess the effect of headline formulation and figuration on curiosity and credibility. Clickbaits were formulated in four different conditions; formulated as a statement or as a question, and with or without exaggeration. Participants (N = 140) were randomly assigned to three topics (sport, entertainment or politics). The experiment was divided into two parts, part A was about the curiosity of the headline and part B was about the credibility of the headline and the corresponding article. The findings of this research contribute to our understanding and perception of clickbaits and provide us with nuance on previous research that highlighted the arousal of curiosity by clickbaits and the negative sentiment on credibility. However, this study does share similar findings concerning headlines without exaggeration, in the sense that these are viewed as more credible than headlines with exaggeration. Keywords: clickbait, experiment, credibility, curiosity