Every headline you read is clickbait. No, seriously. They are all designed to provide enough information for you to click and read an article.

You might say this headline is clickbait: MEN WALK ON THE MOON

That appeared in 1969 as the headline on the front page of The New York Times. Ever since, journalists like myself have tried to craft compelling headlines to capture attention.

Then, there’s a different category altogether. If a headline makes a promise like “read this and you will live forever” it’s a ploy, a come-on. It is intended to make you click but doesn’t deliver any worthwhile content. It feels like a sham, because reading any article on any topic will not make you live forever. The body of the article is false. In 1969, astronauts did wall on the moon, and it was a momentous occasion. It was worth the hype.

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