Clickbaited: What the Internet Did to Truth… and How We Get It Back

We live in the most informed age in human history - yet we’ve never been more confused.Every headline competes for outrage. Every feed blurs fact with feeling. Every truth bends beneath the weight of attention.In Clickbaited, Shawn Taylor - author of The Trust Fabric (in the Inventing Tomorrow Series) and the Living True series - dives into the hidden psychology and economics behind modern misinformation. From the early newsroom motto “If it bleeds, it leads” to the algorithmic wars of social media, this book traces how fear became currency, how outrage became industry, and how our ancient survival instincts were repurposed for profit.But Clickbaited is not just a diagnosis - it’s a roadmap back to clarity. Taylor blends neuroscience, media history, and human insight to show why we’re wired to react, how platforms exploit that wiring, and what it will take to rebuild trust in an age of noise.This is not a book about giving up on truth. It’s a call to reclaim it - together.“Part cultural analysis, part survival guide for the modern mind. Clickbaited helps us see the system, so we can stop being part of it.”A Bridge Between Two WorldsWhile Clickbaited stands alone as an urgent investigation into media and human behavior, it continues the spirit of Taylor’s acclaimed Living True series - a body of work dedicated to helping readers live with authenticity, awareness, and courage in complex times.If Unmasked showed how to live true to yourself, and The Trust Fabric showed how to defend truth in technology, Clickbaited shows how to defend truth in society itself. Read more