20260428 Der Mensch wird zur Minderheit

The Internet Dies

... says Carla Siepmann on netzpolitik.org, referring to the internet as we imagined it 20–30 years ago — as a place for communication and the exchange of ideas where everyone can participate on an equal footing. There is, of course, also a Wikipedia page on the “Dead Internet Theory”.

While yesterday we were still trying, through manifestos, rules, and petitions, to limit and regulate the proliferation of AI on the internet, she views the situation as much more critical and hopeless. The reason for this lies in the shifting balance of power. She writes:

“The internet and its platforms are being populated less and less by humans and more by bots. Most of the interactions and content we see online are generated and disseminated automatically. Humans are becoming a minority on the internet.”

What is particularly alarming is that people now consume AI-generated content solely for entertainment. Critical reflection is absent — or is, in part, impossible due to the near-total lack of intellectual content in the millions of shared, meaningless videos. The sole purpose remains to keep people on these platforms in order to enrich the owners through advertising revenue.

Content is becoming worthless

If the majority of content is automatically generated and the algorithms (determining what is shown to whom and in what order) are AI-driven, humans become mere spectators and can only become dumber. The friends we were actually looking for online and the communication — the exchange about our real problems — with them is becoming increasingly difficult and, in the long run, impossible.