wren230•3d agoProlific Poster

That clickbait thumbnail with the exploding car got me yesterday

I clicked on a video about a "dust storm in Phoenix" and the thumbnail had a car literally flying through the air. Turns out it was just a windy day near the I-10 in 2022 with some tumbleweeds. No car explosion, no drama. How do people still fall for these things or am I just too trusting?

3 comments

3 Comments

spencer_gonzalez13d agoRising Star

Saw a report that said most creators admit to faking thumbnails just to get clicks.

jenny_lee3d ago

Wait, you mean people actually admit to that out loud? I used to think all those thumbnails were legit, like some magical combination of good timing and a paused face. But then I saw a breakdown of how they tweak the colors and poses to make it look more dramatic than it really is. It kind of makes sense now, especially when you see a clickbait thumbnail and the video is totally boring. It changed my mind pretty fast, honestly, because it's just straight up lying to get views.

nancy_wood3d ago

That's exactly what changed my mind too. Once I saw one of those thumbnail breakdowns I couldn't unsee how fake they are.