Storm Dennis. Two words, yet when googled it produces 414, 000, 000 results. Following Storm Ciara (which murdered my umbrella and left me drenched), Storm Dennis was also destined to batter Britain with his ferocious winds and heavy rain. He even provoked the Met Office to issue a National Severe Weather Warning. Seems serious and concerning hmm?
This led me to delve into some of these 414, 000, 000 results to find out if Dennis was a storm to be taken seriously, or if it was just a bit of rain blown out of proportion by news platforms, to create scaremongering. You know the type of thing I mean… The news says there is going to be a blizzard, all for it to be a millimetre of sleet. That type of thing.
This is a parody created of the Met Office website and their ‘advice’ of what to do when the UK is greeted with snow. The humorous list highlights the exaggerated behaviours carried out by the public when there is a weather warning issued. It clearly demonstrates a serious over reaction on both parts if you ask me. It also shows why most weather warnings are not taken seriously because they’re usually so OTT.
Being able to read online allows people to readily access information, wherever they are and whenever they want. No matter what part of the UK that you live in, a quick google search will tell you how storm Dennis will affect you. A google search highlighted lots relevant news and updates, but I also came across news articles that had clickbait titles (and of course I fell for it) *YAWNS*
Clickbait is a form of false advertisement which uses a hyperlink text that is designed to entice users into viewing a particular piece of online content. More often than not, this information is deceptive and misleading.
This news article published by the Daily Express, originally led me to interpret that 65 foot waves were recorded on English coasts. At first glance, the clickbait title intrigued me and seemed to point towards the severity of Dennis. The ability to ascertain as much information online as I like, allowed me to discover that 65 foot is roughly the equivalent length of a cricket pitch! THAT’S HUGE!!!!!!
I clicked on the article (thanks to the clickbait title) and I was met with disappointment. I found that this vertical, sea salt cricket pitch, was actually recorded by a satellite in the North Atlantic Sea, and not in Cornwall or Devon as I had imaged. Eugh.
It made me wonder about the progression of reading and writing online. Sure we have come a long way since Gutenberg invented the printing press and even before that. We no longer require ancient scrolls and feather quill pens doused in ink. No. We are much more advanced now. The internet has become a medium whereby it is not just a tool to read from, but also a tool to write on. Having the ability to write whatever you want online for the purpose of entertaining and informing others is somewhat special.
In that sense clickbait just feels… kinda… old? In a world where you can create what you want the tap of a keyboard and with the click of a mouse, I just want the news to spit straight facts to me about storm Dennis. I just want to know what coat is practical and to not get bombarded with the maths of a giant wave. Clickbait appears to have become a transparent use of language, providing attention grabbing stories whilst gaining no traction. Next time I’ll be sure to check out BBC weather. Hopefully that’ll help me decide between a faux fur and a waterproof mac.
Comment below if you have experienced any clickbait articles about storm Dennis or current news in general!!
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Carla's Digital Media and Language Blog 
This is a really interesting blog post! I do agree- it would be more helpful to distinguish the truth in articles by just having the facts- straight up. I have also noticed the number of clickbait articles online about storm Dennis. One of the articles I read was on the BBC, it had the headline ‘Storm Dennis: Army called in to help shore up defences’. This militant language connotes that the storm is dangerous and is something to battle against. I clicked on this article because it was attention grabbing and I wanted to know why the army have been called in. I definitely think we have to look past the linguistic devices meant to entice us to read an article 😊
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