I wanted to write this article to express my concerns about what is happening in terms of AI developments. With AI images and videos becoming better and often even (nearly) indistinguishable from real images, AI bots running rampant on social media, the internet is going to be reshaped into a new manner that will never change back.
Personal Example
I don’t have a huge Twitter following, to say the least. I do tweet semi-regularly, and I like to place replies here and there. Sometimes, I even get a Like on my reply. But then when I go and check who liked my tweet, it was a bot. To be more specific an “OF” bot. How do I know it’s a bot? They have less than 5 followers, follow no one, don’t tweet, except for one tweet containing a link to their OF profile.
I do not want to write out what OF stands for on my blog. Although I think it’s unlikely you haven’t heard of it by now, a simple Google search will tell you. Mind you, it’s for adults only.
Speaking of which, these OF bots will “Like” anyone’s reply on Twitter. Including underage people. And people who just don’t want to get into any of that stuff. It’s a pest, really. But that’s not what this article is about.
Who knows, these profiles could be entirely AI-generated – pictures included. How would you know?
Have you heard of the Dead Internet Theory?
The Dead Internet Theory is the idea that most of the internet today is no longer full of real people, like it used to be. Instead, it suggests that a lot of the content online – such as comments, reviews, posts, or even news – is actually written by bots, AI, or paid workers, not real users.
According to this theory:
- The internet started to “die” around 2016–2017.
- Big companies and governments now control most of what we see online.
- Bots create fake activity to make things look popular or to push certain ideas.
- Real people don’t post or engage as much anymore, or their content gets buried.
It’s not a proven fact – it’s more of a conspiracy theory. But some people believe it explains why the internet sometimes feels fake, repetitive, or empty, compared to how it used to be.
Is It Possible? Us Disconnected, AI Creating Content
With how things are going, I think there is a real, serious and threatening possibility that one day, and not necessarily many years from now, we could be consuming largely AI-generated content. And I believe this will mostly all take place on social media, where most internet users nowadays are gathered on a daily basis.
AI-generated Instagram reels, AI-generated Twitter accounts, AI-generated responses, AI-generated YouTube videos,…
Can you see it happening? With Meta deploying millions of AI bots on Facebook and Instagram, and now resuming training its AI model based on the real user data of European users.
I don’t even believe opting out is going to matter. One day it’ll just be in the news that Meta did an ‘oopsie’ and used the data of people that opted out either way, needing to pay a fine of 250 million dollars (Meta is worth 1.32 trillion USD at the time of writing btw). And not to the affected users. So what’s the point?
What can we do about it?
Anyway. So what can we do about this? What can we do to make sure we stay connected with actual humans, and not AI and robots?
1. Support real humans
- Follow small creators, indie blogs, artists, and writers.
- Comment and engage with content you enjoy – even a simple “this is cool” helps a LOT.
- Avoid only interacting with stuff pushed by algorithms (like YouTube Trending or TikTok’s For You page).
2. Use the web more consciously
- Spend time on forums, communities, and blogs where real conversation happens.
- Try using alternative search engines like DuckDuckGo or Kagi instead of Google. You might be surprised by what you discover.
3. Be skeptical
- Question posts that seem too perfect, or viral things that feel copy-pasted.
- If something feels robotic or off, check if it’s from a real, trustworthy source.
4. Protect your own online presence
- Don’t overshare personal info where it can be used for bots or AI training.
- Use privacy tools like ad blockers or anti-tracking extensions.
5. Create more of the good stuff
- Post your own thoughts, art, stories, or photos – whatever makes the internet feel human.
- Even small contributions add to the realness online.
Help Spread the Word
Whether or not the Dead Internet Theory is fully accurate, it reminds us of something important: the internet is slowly being filled with AI-generated content, fake engagement, and things that look human but aren’t. If people don’t know this is happening, they might stop questioning what they see and lose trust in real creators. That’s why it matters to talk about it, to help others understand what’s changing, what’s real, and why it’s worth supporting content made by actual people instead of just whatever the algorithm shows first.
For creators, especially artists, having your own website is more important than ever. Social media is useful, but it doesn’t truly belong to you. Platforms change, accounts can get removed, and your posts can be buried to be never seen again.
A personal website gives you full control over how your work is shown, tells your story your way, and acts as a stable home for your creativity. In a time when AI can imitate styles and overwhelm feeds, a website is a clear sign that a real person is behind the art. And that matters.
