Truthfinder Clickbait

OK, here’s the overview: Truthfinder is one of those people-search sites that promises to deliver hidden insights about your friends, coworkers, romantic interests, etc., supposedly digging into the deep web for salacious morsels you can’t find via Google. Of course, if you check the reviews, you’ll find plenty of folks who say that their subscription model is a scam. Caveat emptor.

What freaks me out is the Truthfinder advertising approach: a young woman staring into the camera with a sultry come-hither look. Sometimes it’s a head-and-shoulders shot; other times it’s something even more creepy, a voyeuristic vibe. And then there are the alternating times: “Type in your name and wait… X seconds.” Sometimes it’s 7 seconds, sometimes 10 seconds, sometimes 14 seconds, sometimes up to 17 seconds. Always the same pitch but different length of time.

Why the skeevy images?

Why the different numbers?

Why do people click on these ads?