AI-Generated Content and the Dead Internet Theory
An Exploration Into The Conspiracy Theory That Could Potentially Become True
It’s weird and confusing to live through a major technological revolution. The sudden economic changes permeate all aspects of society: careers, culture, relationships, family life, purchases, and even leisure. Since the 90s, we’ve been subject to several life-altering, major technological shifts. From the internet to cell phones, to social media, our general rate of advancement has increased fast enough to give even the most tech-savvy folk a fair bit of whiplash as they navigate through all the changes. As time has marched on, our ability to innovate has picked up pace, making for some strange culture shocks and, not surprisingly, a general rise in dread about the future.
AI’s invention and use have recently gripped this flavor of cultural dread. Long a dystopian science fiction plot device, AI becoming commonplace feels like we’re seeing the start of a Terminator future. As a result, a large swath of folks with future anxiety started communicating, wondering, and taking a stab at predicting what might happen next.
Enter the ‘dead internet theory’: the internet’s new conspiracy theory that’s making its rounds through social media and growing in popularity beyond the fringe forums…
