Please Let the Internet Die
Online spaces are captured by oligarchs and saturated with slop—and they’re exacerbating humanity’s worst impulses. It’s time to start over.
The internet has become a cesspool of manufactured chaos, where the few remaining sparks of genuine human connection flicker ever dimmer. Platforms like Meta and Google now face legal battles over privacy breaches and mental health consequences, while schools ban smartphones and many countries impose restrictions on social media for minors.
Generative AI, once a novelty, now churns out endless, useless content, drowning out meaningful discourse and blurring the lines between fact and fantasy. Data centers, once celebrated, are now reviled for their exploitative nature. Oxford University Press even declared "rage bait" word of the year, reflecting the alarming rise of manipulated content designed solely for profit.
As the digital landscape deteriorates, the question arises: is this the inevitable fate of the internet, or is there still hope for salvaging a semblance of sanity in this fractured realm?
Written by urgent.news from Wired's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
