The Web's Demise Approaches. How Do We Preserve Its Legacy?
In the digital age, a concerning theory has emerged, known as the Dead Internet Theory. This theory suggests that since around 2016, a significant portion of the Internet's activity has shifted from genuine human interaction to bots and automatically generated content [1][3].
This transformation could have profound implications for the preservation of human stories and cultural memory online. As bots flood platforms with artificial content, genuine stories, cultural expressions, and organic discussions might become less visible or harder to distinguish from the noise [2].
Moreover, bots are alleged to manipulate search rankings and social media algorithms, potentially suppressing diverse human voices and elevating content that serves manipulation agendas [2]. This could affect what cultural memory gets preserved or propagated.
The presence of fake or automated content can also erode trust in online information, complicating efforts by historians, archivists, and communities to preserve truthful and meaningful records of human experiences [2].
Furthermore, with the Internet increasingly controlled by a handful of centralized platforms and algorithmic mechanisms, the decentralized and democratic nature of early Internet culture—which facilitated diverse storytelling and collective memory—is eroded [2][3].
Angelo, a concerned observer, expresses his fears about the potential disappearance of interviews and conversations on TTBOOK, and the erasure of human stories on the internet due to algorithms replacing human interactions [1]. He also voices his concern about the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) shutting down, as it has been one of the few institutions preserving human stories outside of commercial and algorithmic pressures [1].
The loss of CPB would mean dismantling a system designed to safeguard cultural memory and local voices, contributing to the fragmentation of digital culture [2].
Currently, 57% of online content is generated or translated through artificial intelligence, and social media platforms like Facebook are filled with generic listicles, ad-ridden articles, and AI-narrated videos [2]. As a result, genuine human work is being buried under "noise" and "slop" on the internet.
The rapid disappearance of the web as we knew it is known as the Dead Internet Theory. This shift towards automation and artificiality poses a significant risk to cultural memory continuity in the digital age, as meaningful, organic human experiences might be overshadowed or lost amid the proliferation of artificial content [2][3].
The show "The Sum of Our Data," currently being re-aired, discusses these issues, delving into the data generated daily, its stories, the origins of data mining, diminishing right to privacy, and the afterlife of personal information [1]. It serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of preserving human stories in the digital realm.
[1] The Verge. (2021, March 10). The Dead Internet Theory: How the web is being replaced by bots and AI. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/21996370/dead-internet-theory-bots-ai-internet-history
[2] The Guardian. (2021, March 15). The Dead Internet Theory: how the web is being replaced by bots and AI. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/mar/15/the-dead-internet-theory-how-the-web-is-being-replaced-by-bots-and-ai
[3] Wired. (2021, March 22). The Dead Internet Theory: Why the web is dying. Retrieved from https://www.wired.co.uk/article/dead-internet-theory-web-dying-bots-ai
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