Poké-Clickbait (or Having None of It)

Those who deal with social media - which would include me as a blogger - will likely be familiar with (at least some semblance) of the term "clickbait". It refers to the way of making certain objects - titles, tags, or anything that could possibly be linked - as interesting and attention-grabbing as possible so that viewers, readers, and so on will be attracted to follow through. While it's a general thing, Pokémon can of course be involved, which would make it "Poké-clickbait" as above. Yet it's also an iffy thing, which is why I've opted to make a discussion of it, in particular for the case of this blog.

For one thing, the process is almost always conducted with some element of dishonesty - including sensationalism, controversy, and/or misrepresentation - so the truth is covered up, and it may even be considered ethically unsound in a way. Linguistically, coherence is in a sense also destroyed by this process. Both of these lead to problems for the presentation of real, actual, or even "authentic" things or experiences, which as I've discussed at one point in time becomes one of the points of this blog. Even if Pokémon is only partially imagined, the experiences remain as real as real can be, and that ties into the problem.

So, that leads to my stance: I want none of it, at least none with deliberate intent nor questionable means. All the thoughts, experiences, discussions, conceptions, and so on and so forth about Pokémon that are presented on this blog are as such, as they are, and as real as possible. While I do realize that in the current era of the viral Internet this might lead to reduced interest, at the same time, I also want to prove that my interest in Pokémon is real, not fake, and very much true, and I believe that will appeal for at least some fan segments - and perhaps even those directly involved with Pokémon.

As an aside, I do realize that honesty is not all it's cracked up to be in certain places and on certain occasions, and by corollary, it has its place and time. That may be one factor that was involved in a certain happening I addressed last year that I hoped would also be a lead-up to future Pokémon possibilities but instead led to a mental breakdown; there are also similar happenings - not necessarily tied to Pokémon - that confirm the above. Still, for the purpose of this blog, honesty is a big thing, and it deserves a place here, given the reasoning that I've already outlined above.

I do also have to mention the inspiration of this post. It was partially inspired by a friend (and a very good one at that, whom I also have collaborated with and mentioned on this blog - that's for readers to discover, as usual) who brought up the issue in discussion. Some thoughts may also have been inspired by a certain entity on the Internet that also relies on clickbait in order to present many things that might just include Pokémon, specifically ones that rely on hearing them - that should already be a rather big clue, and I'd rather not expound further lest it destroys my credibility, sanity, or both.

When all is said and done, clickbait remains a phenomenon of today's Internet, at least in the realm of entertainment where Pokémon also persists - sometimes in combination. It may have its place there, but likely not all the time, let alone outside of the realm. And it definitely poses a problem for ethics, discourse, and authenticity in certain situations, for which the last of these is rather pertinent to my blog as it is with all kinds of Pokémon things. It is thus something I would never incur deliberately or shadily here, and I would rather have the verity of my Pokémon interests speak for itself, for those who read. 

One year ago: A Clash of Realms on Go Tour

Two years ago: A Leftover Pokémon Promo?

Three years ago: The Sweetness of "Attractors"

Four years ago: Memories and Mnemonics

Five years ago: Pokémon Clocks

Six years ago: (It's a Wonderful) Local Ex-Raid, 2/8/2018

Seven years ago: Serena-Shipping: "Heaven Help My Heart"