The reason why you see a lot of bullshit headlines and fake news (besides the propaganda value) is simple: Money.
More precisely – ad money.
The “journalist” publishes some fake bullshit with a triggering headline and gets everyone to click on it.
When you click his link, you see 4-5 ads on his page. You realize you’re dealing with a bullshit outrage merchant and you click out.
But you already saw the ad and the guy made his money from you already.
The simple modus operandi of most “news” sites is just publish a ton of baity articles and collect ad revenue from the clicks.
How can you fight back?
It’s very simple. Install an ad blocker.
Most people online do not use ad blockers – yes, I know this comes as a surprise for many smart people who think using ad block is default behavior.
Depending on which survey/study you check, the usage rate for ad blocking software is anywhere from 25% to 43% i.e. less than half if you believe even the most optimistic surveys.
For mobile users, adblock usage rates are about 15% and only around 10% for tablets.
If you don’t have an adblocker, you need to install one ASAP. Install one for every member of your household as well so they aren’t funding the news mafia either.
If you want to stick to Chrome or Firefox, go with Adblock Plus or uBlock Origin.
While you’re adding the ad-block plugins to Chrome and Firefox, here’s a few more plugins you should add for enhanced privacy: 1) Turn on HTTPS by Default 2) Disable tracking content in your browser or install Ghostery
With these simple browser extensions you can fight back against mass media. You take away their ad money, which is like taking away their blood.
If you don’t want to do all of that, I highly recommend using Brave browser. It comes with privacy tools (like HTTPS by default) and adblock built in.
Do this both for your phone and your desktop (more important to do on your phone because 60%+ of the time, you’re browsing with your phone).
Ad blocker = no ads = no ad money for the “journalist” = no clickbait fake news bullshit.
It’s that simple.
– Harsh Strongman
