It's not just fake news you need to be wary of, it's twisted news.

News that has been written with the sole purpose to get something from you rather than to give something to you.

Most news articles on most websites/ social media/ news apps/ are there to -

- Expose you to advertisers, and, or

- Increase the popularity of the writer/website/app through the number of clicks.

Many writers are incentivised, not just through their ego, by the amount of clicks they can generate for their respective organisations.

Sensationalised news has been around for a long time, but the instant feedback now available through technology, has increased the use and effectiveness of clickbait headlines.

In a world where attention is a limited resource, competition and the temptation to dramatise is high.

Be careful what you read.

Ask yourself; what are the author's or website's motives? Do they make money or have they something to gain by you reading and sharing the article. Can you spot the sensationalism, the appeal to the people, the biases, the oversimplification and the lack of a balanced argument?

I'm not against making important, interesting, helpful news more attractive but if it is just self serving gossip, then it's not for me.