ClickHole

{{course assignment | course = Education Program:University College London/MSIN1003 Information World (Autumn 2014) | term = 2014 Q3}}

{{Infobox organization

| name = ClickHole

| image = File:Clickhole logo.svg

| founded = {{start date and age|2014|6|12}}{{cite news|last1=Parker|first1=Sam|title=Can The Onion's Clickhole learn from the viral-hungry websites it targets?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/media-blog/2014/aug/14/onion-clickhole-viral-buzzfeed-journalism|work=The Guardian|date=August 14, 2014 |access-date=October 13, 2014}}

| status =

| purpose = To parody content shared on media sites.{{cite web|last1=Ingram|first1=Mathew|title=It's getting harder to tell what's satire these days, and The Onion's new site Clickhole isn't helping|work=Gigaom |url=https://gigaom.com/2014/06/12/its-getting-harder-to-tell-whats-satire-anymore-and-the-onions-new-site-clickhole-isnt-helping/|access-date=October 18, 2014|date=June 12, 2014}}

| fields = Satire, clickbait, surreal humor

| language = English

| key_people = Steve Etheridge (Editor in chief){{Cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katienotopoulos/cards-against-humanity-buys-clickhole|title=Cards Against Humanity Bought Clickhole|website=BuzzFeed News|last=Notopoulos|first=Katie|date=3 February 2020}}

| staff = 5 members

| mission =

| website = {{URL|https://clickhole.com}}

| owner = Cards Against Humanity LLC

}}

ClickHole is a satirical website that parodies clickbait websites such as BuzzFeed and Upworthy. It was launched on June 12, 2014, by The Onion,Oremus, Will (June 12, 2014). [http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2014/06/clickhole_the_onion_s_new_site_is_more_than_a_buzzfeed_parody.html "Area Humor Site Discovers Clickbait"], Slate. Retrieved August 4, 2014.Crouch, Ian (June 20, 2014). [http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/sucked-into-the-clickhole "Sucked into the ClickHole"], The New Yorker, Retrieved August 4, 2014.Dewey, Caitlin (June 24, 2014). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/06/24/the-onion-launched-a-parody-site-called-clickhole-and-not-everyone-got-the-joke-what-happened-next-will-not-surprise-you/ "The Onion Launched a Parody Site called Clickhole, and Not Everyone Got the Joke; What Happened Next Will Not Surprise You"], Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2014. in conjunction with that publication's decision to stop its print edition and shift its focus exclusively to the internet.{{cite web|last1=Bellware|first1=Kim|title=The Onion Is Tired Of Click Bait, And What They're Doing Next Will Explain Everything|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/30/clickhole-the-onion_n_5240585.html|work=The Huffington Post|access-date=October 16, 2014|date=April 30, 2014}} According to ClickHole's senior editor, Jermaine Affonso, the website is "The Onion's response to click-bait content" and serves as "a parody of online media".{{cite web|last1=Soren|first1=Emma|title=Inside 'The Onion's New Click-Bait Parody, ClickHole.com|url=http://splitsider.com/2014/06/inside-the-onions-new-click-bait-parody-clickhole-com/|publisher=Splitsider|access-date=October 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015225633/http://splitsider.com/2014/06/inside-the-onions-new-click-bait-parody-clickhole-com|archive-date=October 15, 2014|url-status=dead}} Critics noted that, on a deeper level, ClickHole illustrates the shallow nature of social media content and media sites' desperation to share such content.

On February 3, 2020, the website was acquired by the team behind Cards Against Humanity. After the purchase, the website's employees became its majority owners, and retain complete creative control.{{Cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katienotopoulos/cards-against-humanity-buys-clickhole|title=Cards Against Humanity Bought Clickhole|website=BuzzFeed News|date=February 3, 2020 }}

Background

ClickHole aims to mock content posted on media sites, using satire, and tries to make its content shareable. According to its website, ClickHole wants "to make sure that all of [its] content panders to and misleads [its] readers just enough to make it go viral".{{cite web|title=What is ClickHole?|url=http://www.clickhole.com/about|publisher=ClickHole|access-date=October 18, 2014|date=June 12, 2014}} In most of its posts, ClickHole tries to convey an underlying message, usually poking fun at social media users or societal behaviors.{{cite web|last1=Zinoman|first1=Jason|title=The Latest News That Isn't John Oliver and Clickhole Take Fake News in Opposite Directions|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/16/arts/john-oliver-and-clickhole-take-fake-news-in-opposite-directions.html?_r=3|work=New York Times|access-date=October 19, 2014|date=July 15, 2014}}

The website aims to publish content frequently, setting a target of 7–10 new posts daily.

Content

ClickHole publishes content in the form of articles, videos, quizzes, blogs, slideshows, and features.{{cite web|last1=Etherington|first1=Darrell|title=The Onion's ClickHole Opens Its Traffic-Baiting Maw|date=June 12, 2014 |url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/06/12/the-onions-clickhole-opens-its-traffic-baiting-maw/|publisher=Techcrunch|access-date=October 14, 2014}}

Since being founded in June 2014, ClickHole has published parodies of nostalgic content, advice, motivational quotes, sport analysis, life hacks, fashion, and think-pieces (all of which mimic the style and tone of content posted by media sites such as BuzzFeed and Upworthy).{{cite web|last1=Gallagher|first1=Brenden|title=A Look Back at ClickHole's First Month|url=http://uk.complex.com/pop-culture/2014/07/a-look-back-at-clickholes-first-month/nostalgia|website=Complex|access-date=October 17, 2014|date=July 1, 2014}}{{cite web|last1=Oremus|first1=Will|title=Area Humor Site Discovers Clickbait|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2014/06/clickhole_the_onion_s_new_site_is_more_than_a_buzzfeed_parody.html|work=Slate|access-date=October 23, 2014|date=June 19, 2014}} Another popular feature is "oral histories" of TV shows, websites, and other usually very recent pop culture phenomena.{{cite web|url=http://www.clickhole.com/search?tags=oral-history|title=Oral History – ClickHole – Because all content deserves to go viral|work=clickhole.com|access-date=August 29, 2015}}

The ClickHole team meets frequently to brainstorm about new ideas and topics that can be written about. The team uses social media feeds as inspiration for topics to satirize, based on the clickbait that is shared most often. ClickHole ensures that its employees put detail into how each topic should be addressed from a satirical point of view, so that its ideas are conveyed successfully. It also was revealed that the team is still at a stage where it is experimenting with ideas to see what is best received by its audience.{{cite web|last1=Gayomali|first1=Chris|title=THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF CLICKHOLE: HOW CREATIVITY (AND GEORGE TAKEI) KEEP THE ONION-Y SITE SIZZLING|work=Fast Company |date=September 20, 2014 |url=http://www.fastcompany.com/3036011/how-to-be-a-success-at-everything/the-first-100-days-of-clickhole-how-creativity-and-george-|access-date=October 14, 2014}}

Content posted on ClickHole also is shared on social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and Pinterest.

In February 2015, ClickHole began posting interactive fiction adventure games called ClickVentures.{{cite magazine |last1=Muncy |first1=Julie |title=How ClickHole Crafts the Web's Most Hilarious Adventure Games |url=https://www.wired.com/2016/03/clickhole-adventure-games/ |magazine=Wired |date=2016-03-26}}

On February 23, 2017, ClickHole temporarily changed its name to Cruft. The change was unexplained, and the name was changed back the following day.

On May 17, 2017, ClickHole was changed to PatriotHole, declaring itself to be "the only viral media site brave enough to SCREAM about REAL Americans" and "the internet's last stand against the tyranny of the Leftist Media."{{cite web|url=http://www.clickhole.com/article/what-clickhole-230|title=What Is ClickHole?|date=June 12, 2014|access-date=November 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171101014456/http://www.clickhole.com/article/what-clickhole-230|archive-date=November 1, 2017|url-status=dead}} As PatriotHole, the site's journalistic style shifted to resemble fringe right wing news websites such as Breitbart and InfoWars.{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/news/333821-clickhole-rebrands-as-patriothole-to-parody-conservative-websites/|title=The Onion's Clickhole rebrands as PatriotHole to parody conservative sites|first=Paulina|last=Firozi|work=The Hill |date=May 17, 2017|access-date=November 1, 2017}}{{cite news |last1=Tiffany |first1=Kaitlyn |title=ClickHole becomes PatriotHole to parody howling right-wing blogs |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/17/15653696/clickhole-patriothole-right-wing-news-parody |access-date=13 September 2021 |work=The Verge |date=17 May 2017}} The site's logo was changed from an orange spiral pattern to a white eagle with orange lines spanning between its wings. Two days later, the site changed back to normal, although PatriotHole was spun off into its own section.{{cite web|url=http://www.clickhole.com/article/clickhole-and-patriothole-are-teaming-profit-fract-6093|title=ClickHole And PatriotHole Are Teaming Up To Profit Off A Fracturing America|date=May 19, 2017|access-date=November 1, 2017}}

On August 29, 2017, PatriotHole introduced Doug Baxter as the host of its eponymous web video series which premiered on September 6, 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/PatriotHole/videos/vb.411063055939696/463485924030742/?type=2&theater|title=Watch 'PatriotHole' Starting 9.6.17|via=www.facebook.com}} The show features Baxter as a parody of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, parodying Jones's views on subjects like Hillary Clinton,{{Cite web|url=https://www.clickhole.com/shadow-money-the-clinton-foundation-has-spent-billions-1825126649|title=SHADOW MONEY: The Clinton Foundation Has Spent Billions Of Dollars To Discover A Way For WOMEN To Have Sex With EACH OTHER|website=ClickHole|date=September 20, 2017 }} globalists,{{Cite web|url=https://www.clickhole.com/red-alert-globalist-billionaires-have-arranged-a-secre-1825126661|title=RED ALERT: GLOBALIST BILLIONAIRES Have Arranged A SECRET MEETING In Davos Where They're ALL HANGING OUT WITHOUT ME!|website=ClickHole|date=October 5, 2017 }} 9/11 conspiracy theories,{{Cite web|url=https://www.clickhole.com/doug-baxter-reveals-the-truth-about-9-11-1825126639|title=DOUG BAXTER REVEALS THE TRUTH ABOUT 9/11|website=ClickHole|date=September 11, 2017 }} and products sold through the InfoWars website.{{Cite web|url=https://www.clickhole.com/patriothole-exclusive-protect-yourself-at-your-most-vu-1825126642|title=PatriotHole Exclusive: Protect Yourself At Your Most Vulnerable With PatriotHole Toilet Armor|website=ClickHole|date=September 14, 2017 }}

On May 9, 2018, ClickHole launched a new liberal-themed site called ResistanceHole, which has a similar theme to PatriotHole but targets liberal news media in its satire, and 'attacks' figures like Donald Trump and Mike Pence (as opposed to PatriotHole, which targets ones like Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders).{{cite web|title=ClickHole Joins the Fight Against Drumpf with the Launch of ResistanceHole|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/05/clickhole-joins-the-fight-against-drumpf-with-the.html|website=pastemagazine.com|access-date=9 May 2018|language=en}}

From January 31, 2022, through February 3, 2022, the website rebranded itself as KidHole and removed all of its previous content to replace it with more childish articles.{{cite web |url= https://www.vulture.com/article/kidhole-clickhole-parody-site.html |title= KidHole Is Over, But Also, Long Live KidHole |last= Clark |first= Anne Victoria |date= 2022 |website= www.vulture.com |publisher= Vulture.com |accessdate= 2023-02-02}}

Reception

Within the first week of release, some readers criticized ClickHole for what they saw as a lack of originality. It was accused of using Upworthy, The Huffington Post and BuzzFeed for inspiration for its headlines, slideshows, and quizzes respectively. One hundred days after its launch, Fast Company praised the site, saying it was "earning praise from just about every corner of the Internet",{{cite web|last1=Gayomali|first1=Chris|title=THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF CLICKHOLE: HOW CREATIVITY (AND GEORGE TAKEI) KEEP THE ONION-Y SITE SIZZLING|url=http://www.fastcompany.com/3036011/how-to-be-a-success-at-everything/the-first-100-days-of-clickhole-how-creativity-and-george-|website=Fast Company|date=September 20, 2014 |access-date=October 18, 2014}} with 36% web traffic generated via sharing on Facebook. The format established by ClickHole is being emulated by some campus satirical newspapers, such as The Michigan Every Three Weekly{{cite web |url= https://www.michigandaily.com/uncategorized/02copy-copy-b-side-lead-e3w-thanks12/ |title= Unable to reach wider audience, Every Three Weekly featured in The Michigan Daily |last= Flynn |first= Michael |website= www.michigandaily.com |date= February 11, 2015 |publisher= The Michigan Daily |accessdate= 2022-12-31}} and The Georgetown Heckler with their spin-off.{{Citation needed|date=October 2017}}

Various writers predicted that the website will be a long-term success because its content has consistently been creative and targets a wide audience. They assumed this to be the case as long as ClickHole's audience understand that the website parodies clickbait, and is not clickbait in itself. Sam Parker of The Guardian said it was unclear whether ClickHole is "a satire of clickbait, or good satire done as clickbait".

Many users of social media have taken ClickHole articles to be literally true (especially those addressing controversial topics), and have expressed their anger and confusion online.{{cite news|last1=Dewey|first1=Caitlin|title=The Onion launched a parody site called Clickhole, and not everyone got the joke. (What happened next will not surprise you.)|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/06/24/the-onion-launched-a-parody-site-called-clickhole-and-not-everyone-got-the-joke-what-happened-next-will-not-surprise-you/|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=October 11, 2014|date=June 24, 2014}}

=Celebrity recognition=

Actor and director George Takei mentioned the website on his official Facebook account after the ClickHole team published an article dedicated to him ("10 Things We Hope George Takei Likes Enough To Share This List") and repeatedly tried to contact him through social media.{{cite web |title=10 Things We Hope George Takei Likes Enough To Share This List |url=https://lifestyle.clickhole.com/10-things-we-hope-george-takei-likes-enough-to-share-th-1825121430 |website=Lifestyle |date=September 16, 2014 }} In another instance, the Facebook account of Robert Downey Jr. posted a link to the article "What Robert Downey Jr. Would Look Like Today," which had the satirical premise of the actor having died several years ago and stating, "I always try to defy expectations."{{cite web | url=https://www.facebook.com/robertdowneyjr/posts/385679568267181 | title=I always try to defy expectations. -Robert Downey Jr | website=Facebook | access-date=June 21, 2015}}{{cite web |title=What Robert Downey Jr. Would Look Like Today |url=https://lifestyle.clickhole.com/what-robert-downey-jr-would-look-like-today-1825120751 |website=Lifestyle |date=January 12, 2015 }}

Writer and comedian B. J. Novak tweeted in March 2018 that the writers at ClickHole "are doing brilliant work".{{cite web | url=https://twitter.com/bjnovak/status/971121886196260864 | title=BJ Novak on Twitter | access-date=July 8, 2018}}

After falling for a fake quote attributed to him on ClickHole, Anderson Cooper dedicated the "Ridiculist" segment of the May 20, 2015, episode of Anderson Cooper 360° to the website.{{cite web|title=Anderson Cooper fooled by satire site|website=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/05/21/ac-sot-ridiculist-tweet-clickhole-satire-site.cnn|access-date=May 26, 2015|date=May 20, 2015}}