You won't believe anything!
June 12, 2014 9:59 AM Subscribe
Clickhole is a branch of The Onion solely dedicated to lampooning the clickbait universe.
It's about time! What took them so long.
posted by bleep at 10:06 AM on June 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by bleep at 10:06 AM on June 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
"You won't believe how we turned this utter crap into a viable business model!"
Yeah, I'm looking at you, BuzzFeed.
posted by surazal at 10:11 AM on June 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I'm looking at you, BuzzFeed.
posted by surazal at 10:11 AM on June 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
Heh, a lot of these have shown up in my Facebook and Twitter feeds over the last few days, but thinking that they were genuine I didn't click on any of them. The headlines (e.g.) aren't as obviously phony as regular Onion headlines.
posted by painquale at 10:12 AM on June 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by painquale at 10:12 AM on June 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
"It’s Time To Publicly Execute Ronald McDonald" seems a little over the top
posted by thelonius at 10:13 AM on June 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by thelonius at 10:13 AM on June 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
Oh man, that Friends quiz...
posted by codacorolla at 10:16 AM on June 12, 2014
posted by codacorolla at 10:16 AM on June 12, 2014
The headlines (e.g.) aren't as obviously phony as regular Onion headlines.
I thought so too. That may be because clickbait can't get much worse. "How Many of These 'Friends' Episodes Have You Seen?" isn't satirical transformation, it's just our culture openly flagged as stupid.
posted by Beardman at 10:16 AM on June 12, 2014 [8 favorites]
I thought so too. That may be because clickbait can't get much worse. "How Many of These 'Friends' Episodes Have You Seen?" isn't satirical transformation, it's just our culture openly flagged as stupid.
posted by Beardman at 10:16 AM on June 12, 2014 [8 favorites]
So. What happened next?
posted by Devils Rancher at 10:21 AM on June 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Devils Rancher at 10:21 AM on June 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
If we all make a pact to never click on any of these, no matter how enticing, it will go away.
posted by shothotbot at 10:24 AM on June 12, 2014
posted by shothotbot at 10:24 AM on June 12, 2014
If we all make a pact to never click on any of these, no matter how enticing, it will go away.
Guarantee void in Tennessee...
posted by TwoWordReview at 10:26 AM on June 12, 2014 [4 favorites]
Guarantee void in Tennessee...
posted by TwoWordReview at 10:26 AM on June 12, 2014 [4 favorites]
You guys are following Saved You a Click on Twitter, yes?
posted by jbickers at 10:36 AM on June 12, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by jbickers at 10:36 AM on June 12, 2014 [5 favorites]
What This Adorable Little Girl Says Will Melt Your Heart
posted by flabdablet at 10:37 AM on June 12, 2014 [15 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 10:37 AM on June 12, 2014 [15 favorites]
That may be because clickbait can't get much worse.
It's no exaggeration to say that these would pass without notice at Huffpo. Maybe comparable to the low end of their content but not in any way worse.
posted by George_Spiggott at 10:45 AM on June 12, 2014
It's no exaggeration to say that these would pass without notice at Huffpo. Maybe comparable to the low end of their content but not in any way worse.
posted by George_Spiggott at 10:45 AM on June 12, 2014
The Top 12 ‘Game Of Thrones’-Inspired Baby Names
1. Dothraki
2. R.R.
3. Book
4. James O’Thrones
5. Great Episode
6. Wizards?
7. HBO GO
8. Bad Man
9. Intrigue
10. Red Wedding
11. A. Dragon
12. Ned
I think it's pretty funny.
The Onion started out as a parody of newspapers, not merely a humorous periodical. I think this is a format equally deserving of mockery.
posted by clockzero at 11:01 AM on June 12, 2014 [15 favorites]
1. Dothraki
2. R.R.
3. Book
4. James O’Thrones
5. Great Episode
6. Wizards?
7. HBO GO
8. Bad Man
9. Intrigue
10. Red Wedding
11. A. Dragon
12. Ned
I think it's pretty funny.
The Onion started out as a parody of newspapers, not merely a humorous periodical. I think this is a format equally deserving of mockery.
posted by clockzero at 11:01 AM on June 12, 2014 [15 favorites]
thelonius: ""It’s Time To Publicly Execute Ronald McDonald" seems a little over the top"
Okay fine, let's do it in the backroom then.
posted by Big_B at 11:04 AM on June 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
Okay fine, let's do it in the backroom then.
posted by Big_B at 11:04 AM on June 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
"8 Touching Pics of Celebrities and Their Dads" really deserves a wider audience. (Hint: Patrick Stewart.)
posted by vickyverky at 11:08 AM on June 12, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by vickyverky at 11:08 AM on June 12, 2014 [6 favorites]
Looks like my fucking Facebook feed....
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 11:09 AM on June 12, 2014
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 11:09 AM on June 12, 2014
Sorry to be a downer, but I was a little disturbed by the Patrick Stewart Father's Day joke, just because I know that Patrick Stewart's father was a violently abusive alcoholic. I'm sure the writer didn't deliberately mean to go there, but the juxtaposition bothered me.
That said, the quiz "If I Ordered Fries, Would You Have Any?" is hilarious, and a great callback to this classic Onion article.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:30 AM on June 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
That said, the quiz "If I Ordered Fries, Would You Have Any?" is hilarious, and a great callback to this classic Onion article.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:30 AM on June 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
I’m Not Saying I Hope My Child Is Transgender, But I Would Hit It Out Of The Park
Sheer genius
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:57 PM on June 12, 2014 [5 favorites]
Sheer genius
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:57 PM on June 12, 2014 [5 favorites]
The only thing this needs is to actually mix in real "from around the web" stories and leave it for the users to sort out the difference.
posted by sp160n at 1:34 PM on June 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by sp160n at 1:34 PM on June 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
What This Adorable Little Girl Says Will Melt Your Heart
This is the first thing on the site that's actually made me laugh and sold me on Clickhole, so good job, adorable little girl. (I think the great production values are what drive the joke home.)
posted by Phire at 1:45 PM on June 12, 2014
This is the first thing on the site that's actually made me laugh and sold me on Clickhole, so good job, adorable little girl. (I think the great production values are what drive the joke home.)
posted by Phire at 1:45 PM on June 12, 2014
This reminds me of FeedBuzz. Also, I got the "SuperClicker" badge.
posted by absolutelynot at 1:48 PM on June 12, 2014
posted by absolutelynot at 1:48 PM on June 12, 2014
My favorite part comparing each post to the actual, non-satirical "sponsored content" listed beneath it.
posted by evidenceofabsence at 3:02 PM on June 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by evidenceofabsence at 3:02 PM on June 12, 2014 [2 favorites]
Which 'Orange is the New Black' Character Are You?
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 3:05 PM on June 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 3:05 PM on June 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
Just mousing over the links, an awful lot of those headlines are indistinguishable from Buzzfeed titles. Which is kind of the point, I guess.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:49 PM on June 12, 2014
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:49 PM on June 12, 2014
5 Iconic Movie Scenes that Were Actually Fake.
It's embarrassing now many seconds it took me to figure out why that wasn't an actual Buzzfeed headline.
posted by allthinky at 8:04 PM on June 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
It's embarrassing now many seconds it took me to figure out why that wasn't an actual Buzzfeed headline.
posted by allthinky at 8:04 PM on June 12, 2014 [1 favorite]
Phire: This is the first thing on the site that's actually made me laugh and sold me on Clickhole, so good job, adorable little girl. (I think the great production values are what drive the joke home.)
Dorky admission: I instantly recognized the set that the little girl is sitting in as the AV Club's Undercover stage based on the mural and carpeting.
posted by alexoscar at 8:50 PM on June 12, 2014
Dorky admission: I instantly recognized the set that the little girl is sitting in as the AV Club's Undercover stage based on the mural and carpeting.
posted by alexoscar at 8:50 PM on June 12, 2014
I scrolled down to what I thought were a bunch of fake ads and I started laughing out loud because they were so ridiculous and then I clicked and I found out they were real ads and now I feel sad.
posted by compartment at 11:08 PM on June 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by compartment at 11:08 PM on June 12, 2014 [3 favorites]
The Easter egg with the click counter at the bottom of the page, while totally silly, definitely made me giggle (and click on blank space 100 times to level up at clicking, or something. It's that kind of day in the office).
There's also this pretty good analysis over at the Awl.
posted by torridly at 11:10 AM on June 13, 2014 [1 favorite]
There's also this pretty good analysis over at the Awl.
posted by torridly at 11:10 AM on June 13, 2014 [1 favorite]
Did you grow up reading Calvin and Hobbes? Well, a few super fans made this amazing animated tribute to Bill Watterson’s iconic comic strip and it might bring a tear to your eye.
Oh my god.
posted by jbickers at 9:36 AM on June 18, 2014
Oh my god.
posted by jbickers at 9:36 AM on June 18, 2014
Why Audiences Hate Hard News—and Love Pretending Otherwise -"Ask readers what they want, and they'll tell you vegetables. Watch them quietly, and they'll mostly eat candy."
posted by the man of twists and turns at 6:53 PM on June 23, 2014
posted by the man of twists and turns at 6:53 PM on June 23, 2014
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posted by blue_beetle at 10:04 AM on June 12, 2014 [4 favorites]