People talking about dead internet usually focus on the larger amount of machine content. I’ll focus on the opposite:
I have no data to back this up, but I think AI made humans share less worthwhile content with each other.
Let’s say you’re a decent writer or visual artist. And you used to share bits of your content on the net, for free. You got some people to smile; you like it, right? “Wow thanks this is awesome ♥” fills you with good feelings. And there was no reasonable way to misuse your content for commercial purposes - you aren’t a charity; you’re fine playing dove if others are doves, but not if there are nearby hawks.
Now, they’re making a commercial product out of your content, without your permission. That product makes some people screech how AI will replace useless trash like you - you’ll become obsolete, Soon®. Social media feels as fake as a three euros bill, due to the sheer amount of bots, so you don’t even care about the people (are they actual people?) who might be sharing it any more. You’d think twice before sharing your content online for free. Why bother? If you’re really good you might gatekeep your content behind a paywall, otherwise you’ll simply do something else.
In other words: in the internet, there used to be an implicit social agreement, roughly “share it for free, others are doing the same, everyone benefits from it, including you”. And those megacorporations feeding your content into their models abused this social agreement so much people aren’t as eager to play along it any more.
And the worst part? This isn’t even an intrinsic issue of the technology itself. It’s all about how who controls it.
I completely agree. I’ve been sharing some art I’m doing for inktober, but only because it’s doodles for practice, and could only make ai art worse for it’s inclusion.
But my writing (on my personal website) or my serious art works or my persona open source code projects? Yeah, I have lost all enthusiasm to share them online. If people want to see my work, I’ll send it to them directly.
I think the era of free and open sharing on the Internet is dead, which does sadden me. I think we’re ultimately moving to a new dark age, the Dark Net Age, where all communication and sharing will go into various private chats and sites, where people can be vetted and held accountable.
Well people that care, which will end up being like the early internet: smart kids, embattled minorities, and crotchety, paranoid old folks. All the people too busy or ignorant to care are already deep into the algorithmic treadmills of X and TikTok and I don’t think they’re ever coming out.
I am clearly talking on general grounds (“humans”), not about any specific individual (like myself, or anyone else).
All my content is CC BY-SA. I don’t care if its reshared or who reshares it
Unless you were able to show that your approach is so typical that it contradicts my claim (you weren’t), sharing what you personally do is simply attention seeking.
People talking about dead internet usually focus on the larger amount of machine content. I’ll focus on the opposite:
I have no data to back this up, but I think AI made humans share less worthwhile content with each other.
Let’s say you’re a decent writer or visual artist. And you used to share bits of your content on the net, for free. You got some people to smile; you like it, right? “Wow thanks this is awesome ♥” fills you with good feelings. And there was no reasonable way to misuse your content for commercial purposes - you aren’t a charity; you’re fine playing dove if others are doves, but not if there are nearby hawks.
Now, they’re making a commercial product out of your content, without your permission. That product makes some people screech how AI will replace useless trash like you - you’ll become obsolete, Soon®. Social media feels as fake as a three euros bill, due to the sheer amount of bots, so you don’t even care about the people (are they actual people?) who might be sharing it any more. You’d think twice before sharing your content online for free. Why bother? If you’re really good you might gatekeep your content behind a paywall, otherwise you’ll simply do something else.
In other words: in the internet, there used to be an implicit social agreement, roughly “share it for free, others are doing the same, everyone benefits from it, including you”. And those megacorporations feeding your content into their models abused this social agreement so much people aren’t as eager to play along it any more.
And the worst part? This isn’t even an intrinsic issue of the technology itself. It’s all about how who controls it.
I completely agree. I’ve been sharing some art I’m doing for inktober, but only because it’s doodles for practice, and could only make ai art worse for it’s inclusion.
But my writing (on my personal website) or my serious art works or my persona open source code projects? Yeah, I have lost all enthusiasm to share them online. If people want to see my work, I’ll send it to them directly.
I think the era of free and open sharing on the Internet is dead, which does sadden me. I think we’re ultimately moving to a new dark age, the Dark Net Age, where all communication and sharing will go into various private chats and sites, where people can be vetted and held accountable.
Well people that care, which will end up being like the early internet: smart kids, embattled minorities, and crotchety, paranoid old folks. All the people too busy or ignorant to care are already deep into the algorithmic treadmills of X and TikTok and I don’t think they’re ever coming out.
No, it’s just you.
All my content is CC BY-SA. I don’t care if its reshared or who reshares it
I am clearly talking on general grounds (“humans”), not about any specific individual (like myself, or anyone else).
Unless you were able to show that your approach is so typical that it contradicts my claim (you weren’t), sharing what you personally do is simply attention seeking.