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Fake news is a problem because the wrong metrics are being targeted. Fake news vendors are seeking clicks because ctr maps directly to their revenue stream. So

Fake news is a problem because the wrong metrics are being targeted. Fake news vendors are seeking clicks because ctr maps directly to their revenue stream. So they make outrage click bait, get the money, and compete to make the most outrageous stuff. There's a mix of human psychology and general platform failure going on here.

treebeard901 10y ago
> Fake news vendors are seeking clicks because ctr maps directly to their revenue stream. This is an absolutely important aspect of the fake news problem. It goes back to when news started to be run for profit, which has always been the case to some degree. In recent decades it appears to have accelerated. The internet during this time started to become commercialized as well. The ad supported internet and for profit news combine to create this scenario. Maybe it is a chicken and egg problem... Does supply drive demand in this case or is it the other way around? I genuinely do not have an answer and suspect it is somewhere in the middle. It is an unfortunate symbiotic relationship we have found ourselves in.