The shrinking internet: How algorithms and AI slop are killing the open web
By
joshuablais
Crackling crust, pillowy middle. The kind of bagel that earns a second cup of coffee.
Summary
The article argues that most people's internet experience is limited to algorithmically-controlled social media and video platforms, representing only a small fraction of what the internet can truly offer. It contrasts the curated, echo-chamber experience of modern web usage with the more open, exploratory nature of the early internet. The author expresses concern about the impact of LLM-generated content ("slop") further degrading the quality of online spaces, while advocating for a return to more authentic, self-directed browsing.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledIf you only use social media and video hosting frontends - getting fed by algorithms and visiting the same 5 sites everyday on constant doomscroll, then the internet has never been alive for you.
That experience is perhaps ~3-5% of what the internet could be.
For the vast majority of people, yes - the internet is dying: living inside an algorithmically controlled echochamber that they will never get out of, they live and die by what they are 'supposed to see'.
But, it does not have to be like this.
With the influx of slop that will be created (and already has been created) with LLMs...
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