Can and could overuse

Can  and could  are modal verbs. Other modal verbs, those funny helper verbs that never change and have their own tenses and moods are: should, may, might, ought to, need to, will, shall, must, would. 

Can and  could   are also  overused , especially by unpracticed writers who do not want to come over as too sure of themselves. Yet one of the skills of essay writing is to sound certain or at least convinced of what you are writing.  By overusing can and could, you are sapping your sentence of energy.

Have a look at these:
 Sensationalism can result in real-life consequences.

The sentence is immediately improved by removing the "can" (which requires an adjustment of the verb "result").

Sensationalism results in real-life consequences.

Which still sounds a bit wordy and unwieldly, so let's simplify again:

Sensationalism has  real-life consequences.

The last is by far the best. If you do not have the confidence to be so blunt, your lack of confidence will seep into the reader's consciousness.

Here are a few other examples

Helping others  can/could  be the best way to happiness -- Helping others is the best way to happiness.

Democracy could  be seen as a form of governance  founded on a misplaced trust in the wisdom of crowds -- Democracy is a form of government  founded on a misplaced trust in the wisdom of crowds.

 

Do not forget that could is the conditional. “Democracy could be seen” implies an unspoked protasis such as:  If one examines it/if one were to examine it/ if looked at  from a certain perspective. 

It can/could  be argued that this book is too long and tedious even for the most committed fan.-- This book is (arguably) too long and tedious even for the most committed fan. 

You should probably just get rid of the arguably