How social media tricks you into engaging with it

If you’ve ever found yourself furiously typing a comment to correct someone’s terrible pronunciation of “croissant” or desperately scrolling to find out the name of a mystery movie clip, congratulations—you’ve been played.

Social media thrives on engagement. Every like, comment, and share tells the algorithm, “This is content people care about! Show it to more people!” But not all engagement is created equal. Some creators make genuinely interesting stuff. Others? They’ve figured out how to hack human nature to trick you into doing their marketing for them. Here's my favourite sneaky tricks social media is using to get you engaged.

1. Flat-Out Lying (The Obvious One)

Let’s start with the basics: some people just make things up.

Remember EnChroma® glasses? The ones that were supposed to let colorblind people see color? They don’t work. But that didn’t stop influencers from faking teary-eyed reactions because a “miracle moment” goes viral.

This isn’t new. Fake giveaways, staged pranks, and miraculous weight-loss “hacks” all operate on the same principle: if people are invested, they’ll engage—whether they’re amazed or outraged. And engagement is all that matters.

2. Mispronouncing Words (Yes, It’s On Purpose)

Ever seen a cooking video where someone pronounces “salmon” like “SAL-mon” or calls gnocchi “guh-NOCK-ee”? It’s deliberate.

People cannot resist correcting mistakes, and every comment fuels the algorithm. It doesn’t matter how many times they get told, “It’s actually ‘no-kee,’” because the engagement keeps rolling in. Some poor soul will always take the bait.

It’s not just about cooking, either. Any obvious slip-up—whether it’s calling Beethoven “that blind piano guy” or referring to Australia as a city—guarantees an army of corrections in the comments. And every correction makes the post more popular.

3. Making Obvious Mistakes (a.k.a. Cunningham’s Law in Action)

This is the classic “Let’s see how many people correct me” strategy. A travel vlogger claims the Eiffel Tower is in Spain. A self-proclaimed cocktail expert shakes a gin martini and says, “James Bond was right—this is the best way to make it.” It’s bait. And you will see people in the comments going, “Actually…” as if they’re the first person to notice.

This works because of Cunningham’s Law: The best way to get the right answer on the internet isn’t to ask a question—it’s to post the wrong answer. People love correcting mistakes more than they love answering honest questions.

And every correction boosts engagement, spreading the post even further. If you’ve ever typed, “I can’t believe nobody has pointed this out yet,” you’ve been scammed.

4. Leaving Out Important Information

Creators will post a scene from a movie with the caption, “Best fight scene ever,” but no title. A tweet will say, “I cannot believe what just happened at work,” and then… nothing.

It’s not forgetfulness. It’s engagement bait. The comments fill up with people demanding answers, and others replying, “It’s from The Raid 2, you’re welcome.”

The original creator doesn’t need to do anything. The audience does all the work, turning their confusion into free publicity.

And just when people get annoyed enough to stop engaging, someone new stumbles across the post and asks, “What’s this from?” starting the whole cycle again.

5. Flattery Bait (You Are Special, Right?)

“Only 3% of people can solve this.”“Only true 90s kids remember this.”

These posts exist for one reason: to make you comment. If you see a puzzle claiming that “most people get it wrong,” you have to prove you’re in the smart 3%. If a meme suggests only real 90s kids understand, you have to comment, “This unlocked a core memory.”

You are being manipulated by your own need to feel special. Don’t worry, though—so is everyone else.

6. “Accidental” Leaks

“Oh no, I wasn’t supposed to post this!”

Yes, you were.

Creators will “accidentally” leak a blurry screenshot of an upcoming product or “accidentally” tweet something juicy and delete it five minutes later. By the time the “official” announcement happens, the hype machine is already running.

There’s nothing more exciting than seeing something you weren’t supposed to see.

The fact that you were meant to see it all along is just a minor detail.

7. Subposting & Mysterious Unfinished Stories

“Wow. Just wow.”“Some people will never change.”“Well, that was unexpected.”

No details. No follow-up. Just a vague, unfinished thought, carefully crafted to make people ask, “What happened?”

The best part? Sometimes there is no story. The engagement is the point. A dozen comments later, the creator replies, “Oh, nothing major, just had a weird day,” and suddenly everyone has wasted their time.

It’s a digital magic trick—misdirection with words. You think you’re about to find out something juicy, but really, you’re just boosting someone’s engagement stats.

8. Nonexistent Easter Eggs

A blurry photo with a red circle around… nothing. A TikTok claiming there’s a hidden detail in a game trailer. A YouTube video insisting, “You missed THIS crucial detail.”

The human brain hates uncertainty. It will stare at the image, scan the video, and dissect the clip frame by frame, searching for something that isn’t even there.

Meanwhile, the creator sits back, watching their engagement numbers climb.

And here’s the kicker—if someone points out that there’s actually nothing in the red circle, they just create more engagement. It’s a con with no downside.

The Takeaway? Stop Taking the Bait.

These tricks work because they poke at our deepest instincts:

• Curiosity – We need to know the answer.

• Correction – We have to point out mistakes.

• Exclusivity – We want to prove we belong.

• FOMO – We fear missing out.

Social media isn’t built to inform—it’s built to keep you engaged. And if that means frustrating, flattering, or outright lying to you, then so be it.

So next time you feel the urge to comment, pause. Take a breath. And remember: the only way to win is not to play.