The reason click-bait headlines are ubiquitous is that they work. People are overwhelmed by the deluge of information available online, so publishers have to cut through the clutter to get people to even go to their articles.

I've had to title my upcoming blog entries as click-bait:

• Is your olive oil faking it?
• The one food that will make your joints thank you
• What you're missing when you're missing meat
• The other "Special K" you need to know about

"Listicles" is a new, fad word. It's supposed to mean a short list with a very brief explanation of each list item.