Clickbait Structural Strategies in Honduras

Abstract. Introduction. This study examines clickbait as a strategy for capturing audiences’ attention in the Honduran media system through the lens of the attention economy and the political economy of communication. Methods. This quantitative content analysis evaluated (N=3,244) tweets published by eight Honduran media outlets between February 24 and March 2, 2023. Six variables were operationalized: headline structure, news type, audiovisual elements, engagement, views, and media outlet type. Results. From the tweets evaluated, 39.7% reported characteristics appealing to clickbait. The chi-square test revealed no association between clickbait and higher levels of interaction. However, 92.3% of clickbait posts used URLs. Among the most used clickbait appeals were incomplete information in headlines and emotional appeals. Conclusion. The study reveals that, although clickbait is not a predominant practice, it is significant and presents a structured architecture of commodification (92% used URLs and emotional appeals), suggesting the commodification of communication processes into exchangeable goods and, therefore, competing for visibility and attention. Unlike in the Global North, where clickbait is used as an expansion strategy, in Honduras, it appears to have emerged as a survival strategy in response to a limited peripheral and advertising market.摘要。引言。本研究以注意力经济与传播政治经济学为理论视角，探讨洪都拉斯媒体体系中，点击诱饵（clickbait）作为抓取受众注意力策略的应用现状。 方法。本研究采用定量内容分析法，对2023年2月24日至3月2日期间8家洪都拉斯媒体机构发布的3244条推文（N=3,244）进行分析。本研究对6个变量完成操作化定义：标题结构、新闻类型、视听元素、互动量、浏览量以及媒体机构类型。 结果。在所评估的推文中，39.7%具备点击诱饵的特征。卡方检验结果显示，点击诱饵与更高互动度之间不存在显著关联。然而，92.3%的点击诱饵帖文使用了统一资源定位符（URL）。最常见的点击诱饵诉求手段包括标题信息不完整与情感诉求。 结论。本研究表明，尽管点击诱饵并非主流传播实践，但其影响不容忽视，且呈现出结构化的商品化架构（92%的帖文使用统一资源定位符与情感诉求），这意味着传播过程被商品化为可交换的商品，进而为内容可见性与受众注意力展开竞争。与将点击诱饵作为扩张策略的全球北方地区不同，洪都拉斯的点击诱饵似乎是为应对有限的边缘市场与广告市场而产生的生存策略。