The internet was once seen as a place for free self-expression and exchange of information and ideas, but today, it is dominated by algorithms and artificial intelligence. The dead internet theory posits that humanity’s role on the internet has been significantly diminished and that bots, artificial intelligence, and algorithms have taken over, to a substantial extent, the processes of publishing and sharing content.
While the most outlandish propositions of the theory are not supported by evidence, some of the criticisms do have a factual basis, and the theory’s rise to prominence is directly related to the rise of generative AI.
Dead Internet Theory: What Is It About?
The dead internet theory is based on the premise that much of the content on the internet is artificially generated. In other words, bots account for a significant portion of articles, comments, videos, and other media online. While the theory makes a crucial differentiation between the bots that index web pages for search engines, take part in cybersecurity operations, or help with other narrow tasks, and programs that publish articles, engage with content, and participate in other broad activities, its proponents claim that artificial intelligence and automation account for much of the content people encounter online.
The theory highlights the difficulty of distinguishing between human- and machine-written content. While bots have long been used for advertising, data mining, indexing, and other narrow purposes, malicious bots have also been used to generate spam, fake accounts, and engagement. Moreover, the emergence of generative AI has enabled the creation of articles, posts, videos, and other media at a scale unprecedented in human history. This has made it significantly more challenging to differentiate between human-written and computer-generated content.
AI, Bots, and the Rise of Synthetic Media
One of the most significant factors contributing to the rise of the dead internet theory is the advent of generative artificial intelligence. The rise of AI tools capable of automatically generating articles, blog posts, images, videos, and other media has led to a rapid increase in synthetic content online. With the rise of so-called content farms – virtual factories that use bots to create articles designed to attract traffic and generate revenue – much of the content on the internet is now computer-generated.
Moreover, much synthetic content is recycled, either through direct use or through AI learning on other AI-generated content and subsequently being used as training data for other AIs. This creates a feedback loop in which information that has been presented to AI as input is subsequently re-outputted, sometimes in altered, sometimes in a nearly recognizable form. One of the most insidious aspects of the dead internet theory is that many social media accounts controlled by bots engage in the same activity as human-run accounts – posting content, commenting on content, liking posts, and following other accounts. While many people rely on popularity as an indicator of quality, engagement can be artificially inflated, or fake accounts can engage in content, thus distorting its perceived popularity and reach. The rise of synthetic media has severely contributed to the perception of the internet as dead, according to the theory’s proponents.
Why the Theory Is Worrying, Even If It Is Not Entirely Accurate
Much like other sensationalist theories, the dead internet theory takes advantage of people’s fear of the unknown and the potentially dystopian implications of technological developments. In practice, the implications of advances in artificial intelligence are nuanced and should be considered on a case-by-case basis.
However, the theory’s detractors are right to point out that people rely too heavily on online sources for news, entertainment, shopping, education, and socialization. If articles, videos, and other media are generated by bots, they may be considerably less accurate, engaging, credible, and nuanced than their human-made counterparts. Even more worrying is the prospect of people interacting with synthetic characters that are designed to behave exactly like people but do not have consciousness or emotions.
Much like the rise of chatbots has already resulted in some areas of the internet becoming stale and repetitive, the rise of more advanced linguistic models threatens to make the entire internet more robotic and devoid of human uniqueness. Human interaction, and consequently human writing, is full of quirks that are not found in the writing generated by artificial intelligence. Moreover, people who interact with AI writing may begin adopting some of its traits, thereby making human communication less unique. Thus, while the theory is undoubtedly misleading, its influence can be genuinely dangerous.
How to Deal With a Dead Internet?
People interacting with the modern internet should be aware of the possibility of engaging with content generated by artificial intelligence. In most cases, it should be possible to identify such content by cross-referencing factual statements made in an article or video with trustworthy sources. Moreover, people should be wary of articles and videos that make unsubstantiated claims or present information without providing any supporting details. People should also remember that engagement does not equal popularity and that much content made by bots continues to be engaging, repetitive, and designed to keep viewers watching or reading.
The rise of artificial intelligence, however, should not be a reason to abandon the internet. Instead, people, brands, and publications should learn to verify information more closely and use common sense when interacting with information provided online. Thus, while the authenticity of much synthetic media may be questioned, it is up to the consumers to determine whether to take such media seriously or not.
Conclusion
The dead internet theory is best interpreted not as a serious concern about the state of the internet but rather as a reaction to people’s concerns about losing control over technological advancements. Artificial intelligence, bots, and algorithms do account for a substantial portion of media published online, and much synthetic media is designed to mimic human engagement and interaction. However, the greater threat posed by the ‘dead internet’ is the erosion of discernment and critical thinking as people attempt to separate valuable information from disinformation and distinguish between human-generated and synthetic media.
