sharebait

English

Alternative forms

• share-bait
• share bait

Etymology

From share +‎ -bait (manipulation to elicit a particular response).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈʃɛɹ.beɪt/

Noun

sharebait (uncountable)

1. (Internet, informal, derogatory) Website content that exists only to be shared, aimed at generating advertising revenue, especially at the expense of quality or accuracy, relying on sensationalist headlines to attract click-throughs.
   • 2014, Caitlin Dewey, The Washington Post:

     Forget click-bait. We’re living in the world of share-bait now.

   • 2016, Caitlin Dewey, The Washington Post:

     Among the many phenomena we’d tentatively attribute, in large part, to the trend: the rise of sharebait (nee clickbait) and the general BuzzFeedification of traditional media; the Internet hoax-industrial complex, which only seems to be growing stronger; and the utter lack of intelligent online discourse around any remotely complicated, controversial topic.