“This Video Seems Silly, But It Makes a Good Point”

What is the goal of ClickHole?

Let’s be honest: Today, the average website carelessly churns out hundreds of pieces of pandering, misleading content, most of which tragically fall short of going viral.

At ClickHole, we refuse to stand for this. We strive to make sure that all of our content panders to and misleads our readers just enough to make it go viral. You see, we don’t think anything on the internet should ever have to settle for mere tens of thousands of pageviews. We believe that each and every article — whether about pop culture, politics, internet trends, or social justice — should be clicked on and shared by hundreds of millions of internet users before they can even comprehend what they just read.

ClickHole has one and only one core belief: All web content deserves to go viral.

John Hermann writes about the “Clickhole Paradox”: “You might share an article from The Onion on Facebook because it’s funny, and because it pokes fun at someone, or something, that you think is dumb or bad or irritating. On the latter you always have a little bit of deniability: It’s not about you, is your defense, it’s about [an ill-defined] them,” and adds, “It’s just kind of a lot to ask of people — it’s actually an AMAZING thing to ask of people, for your new website — to tell their friends that they’re idiots.”

Yes, but also (and of course I’m saying this as a person who would sooner bathe in dog vomit than post a facile inspirational video on Facebook): a true friend is a friend who will tell you that you’re an idiot. My guess is that Clickhole will have very little actual idiot-shaming effect, and that every maker and sharer of please-go-viral bullshit will immediately struggle their way to a place of being in on the joke. I mean, I am, and I’m a huge idiot, it took me literally thirty minutes to put on and take off a single bathing suit yesterday.