UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF CLICKBAIT CREATION: A RELEVANCE-THEORETIC ANALYSIS OF THE CHATBOT-PRODUCED CLICKBAIT HEADLINES
UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF CLICKBAIT CREATION: A RELEVANCE-THEORETIC ANALYSIS OF THE CHATBOT-PRODUCED CLICKBAIT HEADLINES

Summary/Abstract: This research aims to establish what kind of clickbait headlines a chatbot may generate and then evaluate those headlines using the fundamental postulates of Sperber and Wilson’s (1995) relevance theory. In particular, the analysis should provide the information regarding the acceptability of these headlines, the strategies they employ, and any potential variations between two different chatbots. This study utilizes TalkAI and Gemini chatbots. The findings indicate that the examined headlines have similar implicatures when approached with optimal effort. In this respect, they appear to provide groundbreaking knowledge and benefits. The assessed headlines are at least optimally relevant for their readers, as they create an information gap. The headlines are acceptable in the sense that they may apply to newspaper articles with little to no adjustment. Furthermore, they employ the strategies already discussed in the literature on clickbait headlines, such as affective and suspenseful language, action words, superlatives, extremes, etc. Nevertheless, these headlines require careful refinement, as chatbots appear to “pay more attention” to clickbait strategies rather than to the addressed topic. The two chatbots display no notable differences aside from a few minor distinctions.

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