The death (again) of the internet as we know it

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the evolution of the internet, from the early days of the web to the current state of mass social media and algorithmic feeds. It covers various trends that have transformed the internet, including the "enshittification" of platforms, the rise of state actors in the information ecosystem, and the impact of generative AI on content creation. The author argues that these changes have made the public internet a less desirable place to spend time, leading to a potential withdrawal from social media and a return to more private forms of communication and interaction.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The Rise of Mass Social Media

1. What is the "Eternal September" event that the author refers to, and how did it impact the internet?

• The "Eternal September" event refers to the influx of normal people onto the internet with the rise of smartphones and mass social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
• This caused the internet to cease being the domain of weirdos and hobbyists, and instead become the town square for the entire society.

2. How did this change impact the early internet experience?

• The author argues that the early internet was a special time when it served as a temporary escape or release valve for those who didn't fit in the offline world.
• Mass social media turned the internet into a collective trap, a place where people had to be instead of a place to run away to.

3. What trends suggest that young people are moving away from public social media platforms?

• Anecdotally, young people in their early to mid-20s prefer to exchange phone numbers instead of connecting on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook Messenger.
• Usage of platforms like Twitter and Instagram is trending down, and people are gravitating towards more private spaces like group chats and Discord.

[02] The "Enshittification" of the Internet

1. What is the "enshittification" process that Cory Doctorow describes for social media platforms?

• Platforms first lure users with a great user experience to create a network effect, then monetize by selling user data and spamming ads, making the user experience worse.
• Finally, they try to extract more value from business customers by jacking up fees and offering competing products, making the platform a worse value proposition for advertisers.

2. How has this process affected the experience of using Google search?

• Google has increasingly monetized its ad search monopoly, resulting in the first and second pages of search results being dominated by ads, making it difficult to find the actual information being sought.

3. What has happened to the quality of content on platforms like Quora over time?

• Quora, which used to be a good source for quick and in-depth answers, has become enshittified, with the author annotating a screenshot to show the poor quality of the results.

[03] The Shift Towards "Push Media"

1. How has the shift to algorithmic feeds on social media platforms changed the user experience?

• Algorithmic feeds have shifted social media towards a "push media" model, where the platform's algorithm determines what content users see, rather than users curating their own feeds.
• This makes the internet experience more passive, with the incentive being to keep scrolling instead of actively engaging with others.

2. How has this shift impacted content creators trying to make a living on these platforms?

• Content creators may be incentivized to optimize their content for the platform's algorithm, rather than focusing on creating the best possible content for their audience.

[04] The Rise of State Actors and Disinformation

1. How have state actors like Russia and China been using social media to influence public opinion in the US?

• Russia has been spreading misleading and incendiary content about US immigration and border security to sow social division, while China has been manipulating the TikTok algorithm to suppress certain topics.
• These state-sponsored disinformation campaigns have changed the day-to-day experience of using social media platforms.

[05] The Impact of Generative AI

1. How has the rise of generative AI affected the quality of content on the internet?

• Generative AI has made it easy to produce large amounts of "slop" - mediocre or nonsensical content - which is being used to fill up social media platforms.
• This "slop" has the potential to create a "recursive ouroboros of slop", where AI-generated content trains other AI models, further degrading the overall quality of internet content.

2. What are some of the potential dangers of AI-generated deepfakes and misinformation?

• Deepfakes can be used for scams, personal revenge, and political interference, making it difficult to trust anything seen or heard on the public internet.

3. How does the author view the future of the internet and digital communication?

• The author is optimistic that people will withdraw from the public internet and return to more private forms of communication and interaction, similar to the pre-internet era.