The internet runs on ads.
Ad companies pay for all the “free” popular social media we use. Ad companies dictate to social media what their clients want their ads to be associated with, not associated with, and drive media of all kinds to push inflammatory and click-bait content that drives engagement and views. It’s why you indirectly can’t swear, talk about suicide, drugs, death, or violence. Sure, you technically can unless ToS prohibits it, but if companies tell their ad hosts they don’t want to be associated with someone talking about guns, the content discussing guns gets fewer ads, fewer ads = less revenue, low-revenue gets pushed to the bottom.
So lowbrow political rage bait, science denialism, and fake conspiracies drives people to interact and then gets pushed to the top because it gets ad revenue. Content that delves into critical thought and requires introspection or contemplation languishes.
Ads are destroying society because stupid and rage sells views.
By reading the gist that OP provided and deciding if you want to read more.
What if I want to read more but not enough to go find my wallet and hand over personal information?
What if you want a cookie, but not enough to go to the grocery store and buy some cookies?
Then you don’t get any fucking cookies.
I fixed that for you:
What if you want a cookie, but not enough to go to the grocery store and buy some cookies, after showing your ID card for its number to be written up?
The difference being that good journalism doesn’t die because I’m too lazy to get a cookie.
Well, no. It dies because you’re unwilling to fund it. Because apparently finding your wallet is too much effort.
And multiply that times a few hundred million lazy humans and now you know why real journalism is dying.
It’s not a viable business model because people are people.
It’s not a viable business model because of capitalism, not because of human nature.
You’re describing a form of the tragedy of the commons.
Totally. If people didn’t have to worry about material needs it would solve a lot of things.