The dead Internet theory is an online conspiracy theory that asserts that the Internet now consists mainly of bot activity and automatically generated content manipulated by algorithmic curation, minimising organic human activity to manipulate the population.[1][2][3][4][5] Proponents of the theory believe these bots were created intentionally to help manipulate algorithms and boost search results in order to manipulate consumers.[5][6] Some proponents of the theory accuse government agencies of using bots to manipulate public perception.[2][5] The date given for this "death" was generally around 2016 or 2017.[2][7][8]
The dead Internet theory has gained traction because many of the observed phenomena are quantifiable, such as increased bot traffic, but the literature does not support the full theory.[2][4][9] Caroline Busta, founder of the media platform New Models, was quoted in an article in The Atlantic calling much of the dead Internet theory a "paranoid fantasy", even if there are legitimate criticisms involving bot traffic and the integrity of the internet, but she said she does agree with the "overarching idea".[2] In an article in The New Atlantis, Robert Mariani called the theory a mix between a genuine conspiracy theory and a creepypasta.[5]
^Walter, Y. (February 5, 2024). "Artificial influencers and the dead internet theory". AI & Society. doi:10.1007/s00146-023-01857-0. Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
^ abcdeTiffany, Kaitlyn (August 31, 2021). "Maybe You Missed It, but the Internet 'Died' Five Years Ago". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
^Dao, Bridgit (2023). The Metaweb The Next Level of the Internet. CRC Press. ISBN 9781000960495. Archived from the original on March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
^ abVladisavljević, Radovan; Stojković, Predrag; Marković, Svetlana; Krstić, Tamara (2023). "New challenges of formulating a company's marketing strategy based on social network analysis". In Premović, Jelena (ed.). Challenges of modern economy and society through the prism of green economy and sustainable development. Educational and business center for development of human resources, management, and sustainable development. pp. 374–380. ISBN 978-86-81506-23-3.
^ abcdMariani, Robert (2023). "The Dead Internet to Come". The New Atlantis. 73: 34–42. Archived from the original on January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
^Gonzales III, Vic (June 28, 2023). "The Internet is Dead: The Truth Behind the Dead Internet Theory". Capiz News. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
^Cite error: The named reference Hennessy1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Une théorie du complot affirme qu'internet est « mort » depuis 2016". Ouest France (in French). September 6, 2021. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
^Codreanu, Claudiu (2023). Policy Paper Nr. 35/2023: Departe de utopii și distopii. Impactul AI asuprasecurității cibernetice(PDF). Institutul Diplomatic Român. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
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