'Please Let the Internet Die'

In a recent article, Wired argues that the internet should be put to an end due to its current state of decay and negative impact on society. The once-promised platform has evolved into a breeding ground for addictive and mentally harmful content. Major technology giants like Meta and Google have faced legal battles over privacy violations and mental health issues caused by their addictive platforms.

Schools have even started banning smartphones, and governments are restricting the use of social media for children under 16 years old.

Parents are worried about their children's aspirations to become social media celebrities, joining online casinos, or joining extremist groups. Generative AI, once seen as a novelty, has become a tool for producing large amounts of useless and grotesque content. As people scroll through their feeds and comment sections, they are faced with AI-generated noise, making it difficult to distinguish real news from fake information. This, coupled with cognitive decline, makes being online increasingly unpleasant.

The data centers that support the internet have become unpopular and politically radioactive. In December, Oxford University Press named "rage bait" the word of the year, noting a threefold increase in usage over the past year. The rise in rage bait usage indicates a heightened awareness of monetized social accounts creating misleading content and extremist propaganda, often automated by generative AI for profit through hostile engagement.

Billionaire oligarchs have further worsened the situation by rolling back moderation policies, allowing inauthentic activity, conspiracy theories, and hate speech to flourish. As one reads the internet in 2026, there is little left to salvage. The once-cherished sense of community, joy, and intellectual exchange has been overshadowed by toxic junk. The internet no longer offers the balance between positive and negative aspects that it did a decade ago.