The dead internet theory is the idea that online activity and the internet mainly consist of bots and automated content generated to manipulate algorithmic tactics.
While this may seem irrelevant, increased bot use can shape public perception of advertising and products. The theory has been loosely circulating on online forums since 2016, and didn’t gain much traction originally.
However, due to the artificial intelligence (AI) boom in the 2020s, interest surrounding this idea has sparked back up. What’s most concerning about this theory is the idea that public perception is now being controlled by algorithms, bots and corporate agendas instead of true human opinions.
This idea can even leak into our personal lives. Was a seemingly empathetic text message crafted through generative AI? To put it simply: the main issue with the internet and digital communication is mistrust.
“There’s something almost comforting about the internet getting so bad because it's just bots and propagandists,” said Andrew Peck, a professor in the Department of Media, Journalism and Film.
Often, when a controversy arises on the internet, it gets blown out of proportion because digital platforms are designed to promote shares.
“There are things that should not be an issue that can be amplified into big cultural war-level issues that say this deeper thing about American society,” Peck said.
It emphasizes that society thrives off of high-emotion, catchy and addictive content to feed into this loop of constant sharing.
“There are bot networks that are programmed and directed by people,” said Peck.
Peck also said that in some ways, an increased amount of bot-driven activity can be placed on human fault. What he means by this is that humans are the ones developing advanced forms of AI and feed the bots the information they need to continue learning human behavioral patterns.
A prime example of this is content creators buying bot services to get more “eyes” on their content to bolster views. This concept of controlling bots to manipulate what content goes viral is also being taken advantage of by large social media companies.
Bots are also an undeniable factor in what posts become popular. The algorithms or creators who buy bots to uplift their content have bots circulate specific content to raise them to virality while other ideas are pushed further down, reporter T.M. Brown wrote in The New Yorker.
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All of the power is centralized in a few organizations. First, they treat their users well and then use the large number of users to draw in advertisers, sponsored partners and content creators. Once these partners are locked in, they sign exclusivity contracts and cannot go anywhere else because all users and potential buyers are already here.
“Because users are locked into these environments, these big players can exploit them, charge our influencers and our companies a premium to get eyeballs,” Peck said.
Once again, it goes back to the idea that the internet was created by humans and parts of its detriments and dangers were spurred on by humans.
“Even before AI, you still have a bit of a biased web for those who have the technological ability or have access to the tools to be able to post and be able to shape it,” said Dennis Cheatham, professor of design who specializes in teaching AI.
Influencers play a big part in modern marketing. They often receive free PR packages and record content based on them without obvious ad disclosure. This can shape public opinion on certain products. This also goes hand in hand with influencers who post their personal beliefs and values, and how exposure to those can influence users’ opinions.
The overall distrust within the internet, its business model and its foundations — built upon lying and exploitation of its users and creators — continues to accelerate the downfall of this empire.
“The flood of AI-generated images that fill social media are sowing seeds of doubt, eroding people’s ability to trust what they see and making people question reality,” according to David Carson in an article published by Stanford University.
It’s difficult to know where to go from here. All online discourse is filled with nuance; there is no clear answer to get out of this hole.
“For us to have, in this case, an internet or have conversation that we can trust, we have to take the time to actually test out and not pass along information if we can’t verify it,” said Cheatham. “Maybe that means there’s less information out there.”
Most social media platforms have stopped enforcing guidelines on what content is posted, and how much of it is posted. One of the biggest social media players, Meta, stopped flagging content and having users click through warnings. Now, there are community notes attached to potentially misleading posts, according to PBS. This flagging system arguably does less to prevent disinformation.
Since the social media companies no longer take the time to prevent harmful information, really digging into the details and authenticity of human work, effort and care can help defend from exaggerated or untrustworthy information on the internet.
Another newer, heavier impact on trusting information is the Google Gemini synopses that appear when you search on Google.
When we search, we get a narrow response generated by AI. While it may be nice to take the easier path and take the information at face value, there is a wide breadth and diversity underneath that synopsis that come from unique search results, said Cheatham.
“Now we search for something, and we get this tiny thing. I imagine most people want the easiest path; they read the synopsis and move on. But underneath that there is diversity and breadth that come from all of those unique search results,” Cheatham said.
The only way to learn is through struggle. Taking the time and effort to understand a concept or learning how to complete a difficult task is far more rewarding. Your brain will have a more durable long-term memory, you will know how to think critically and there are levels of delayed gratification achieved that could not have been without struggling.
“Our brains are the happiest when they go through suffering, and we achieve something,” Cheatham said.
In the end, the internet was made for people and by people. The way out of this problem is to refocus on why the internet was created. It’s a place to share ideas and make human connections. The work that means the most is also backed by an endless amount of human effort.
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