Becoming the Clickbait Monster to Slay It by Eric van Aro

Описание: Oh, *perfect*. A free afternoon. I was just thinking, “How can I best spend my time? Perhaps composing a symphony? Philanthropy? No—I know! I’ll descend into the digital sewers and wallow in the same clickbait sludge that makes me lament the downfall of civilization.”
Yes, it’s truly inspiring: all those profound, deeply researched YouTube documentaries about… what I ate for breakfast in 1997, and how it connects to Cher’s third cousin’s hairdresser. Riveting stuff. A shining monument to human curiosity. We, the Streisands, the Redfords, the “and so many other great talented artist and their family,” are so deeply moved. We weep at the sheer journalistic integrity. These creators aren’t just scraping the bottom of the barrel; they’ve tunneled through it and are now mining a previously undiscovered stratum of pure, weaponized **obnoxious**.
They are, as we all agree, the lowest of the low. Which is why my next move was so obvious: *I must become them*. Not to make a point, you understand, but because I had a spare three hours and thought, “Why not achieve parity with pond scum?” So I played with AI. I fed the beast its own refuse and laughed as it coughed up glitter-covered nonsense. It’s not hypocrisy; it’s *using their weapons*. Very Sun Tzu. Very noble.
And fear not, purists! My new album which will be released in early 2026 is immaculately conceived, utterly AI-free, and crafted the “old way”—which I will now mention right after detailing my dalliance with the robotic zeitgeist, for maximum thematic cohesion. The music is *real*, unlike the fun I’m having solemnly duty-bound to have in the gutter, fighting fire with slightly more self-aware fire.
So please, enjoy the show. Have as much fun watching my bizarre, AI-generated counter-nonsense as you undoubtedly do soaking up those vitally important bullshit stories about us. It’s the circle of digital life. We make the slop, you consume the slop, and somewhere, an algorithm quietly judges us all. Marvelous.