Have you ever been scrolling online and thought, “Something feels off here”? 🤔 Like, the stuff you’re seeing just doesn’t feel quite right? Well, you might not be alone in that thought. Some people believe that the internet we know actually stopped being the way it used to be around 2016 or 2017. 💀
This idea is called the Dead Internet Theory, and it suggests that most of the content we see online today is controlled by bots and algorithms, not real people. Sounds strange, right? But when you think about it, it might not be too far from the truth. Bots are everywhere now—whether they’re filling up comment sections, spreading fake news, or pretending to be normal users like you and me.
And then there are the algorithms. You know, the ones that decide what shows up in your feed? They aren’t just there to entertain you. They actually decide what you see, what you think about, and even how you feel. They have a huge impact on what stories, products, and people get attention, and which ones get ignored. It’s kind of wild when you realize how much power they have over what you’re shown.
What makes it even weirder is how fast AI is growing. We now have AI influencers who look just like real people, AI-generated news that can be hard to tell from real journalism, and deepfakes that are so realistic, they can trick anyone. It’s becoming harder to know what’s real and what’s just fake online.
But don’t worry, it’s not all bad. The internet isn’t completely fake. There are still real people out there sharing, creating, and connecting with others. It’s just that the lines between humans and machines are getting blurrier every day.
Or maybe… I’m just a bot trying to convince you I’m real. Who’s to say? 👀
Sources:
New York magazine: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/12/how-much-of-the-internet-is-fake.html
The New Atlantis: https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-dead-internet-to-come