Braintease or clickbait? How being 'smart' is the new dumb online
The internet will make you clever, they said. It's intelligent, they said. Yet a viral ‘fruit braintease’ is pretty much scraping the bottom of the barrel – and people are falling for it.
It represents a new low in the hunt for hungry, needy minds online.
While some debate the algorithm behind the puzzle – down the internet's ‘rabbit holes’ – it might be worth considering if the puzzle is actually difficult at all?
No one can figure out what's going on in this children's fruit puzzle. Can you? #brainteaser#UgandaDecides#KOTpic.twitter.com/Eqq2gOImFC
— Samuel Ouga (@Ougasam) February 17, 2016
Solving anything, no matter how easy, does help a person feel better. But come on.
The fruit ‘puzzle’ is not the first to do the rounds – how many of these look familiar?
Find the Panda and reTweet/Share pic.twitter.com/6Uhl3bozV4
— Biz Tips (@biz_tips) February 14, 2016
I wish everyone a Happy New Year with this picture! :)Can you find the four-leaf...
Posted by Dudolf on Wednesday, 30 December 2015
A cat is hiding amongst these owls!Can you spot it?
Posted by Dudolf on Sunday, 20 December 2015
There's a panda amongst them!Can you find it?
Posted by Dudolf on Wednesday, 16 December 2015
Viral brainteasers range from absurdly simplistic (above) yielding an undeserved sense of accomplishment (for anyone over 9) to the more engaging, educational challenges, like that school maths question from Singapore that went viral last year.
This question causes a debate with my wife .... and its a Sec 3 question. #trickquestion#cherylsbirthday
Posted by Kennethjianwen on Friday, 10 April 2015
We still don’t know Cheryl’s birthday, but we’re pretty sure the dress is white and gold…
That damn white or gold dress still messes with me. I see white and gold but the real colour blue and black. HOW!!!! pic.twitter.com/gpYJn8Qhye
— Celerius (@CeleriusYT) December 27, 2015