[frogpelt]

Before there was social media there was click bait headlines from supposedly reputable news agencies.

Social media gave people easy ways to engage and share. And it turns out what people engage with and share is click bait/rage bait.

So maybe not technically inherent but a natural consequence of creating networks for viral sharing of content.

[brianpbeau]

Even before that we had "sweeps week" in broadcasting. This was the period of time where the big networks pushed out their biggest shows, miniseries and end of season episodes. This would lead into the nightly news which would also put together an extended expose on a headline-grabbing story. These stories would be heavily advertised during the prime time shows and would often be told over a period of nights. All of this was in service for high ratings that could be used to increase advertising rates.

So yes, all of this has happened before and will continue to happen as long as we live in a capitalist society.

[insane_dreamer]

Yes, such tactics have existed forever.

But the scale and speed are much different. Which is why social media is not "just more of the same".