The web is becoming social again

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We are long gone from social media.

The internet today is no longer social; it is algorithmic and built to be addictive. What we used to call social media is really just algorithmic dependency media, sprinkled with attention-seeking propaganda. It’s like a massive casino with aisles of machines run by governments, corporations, and individuals—all handing out free drugs while vying for your attention and collecting information about your private life.

The internet once stood for the free distribution of information and genuine connections with people, whether you knew them or not. It was both informative and truly social.

I believe we are moving back toward those earlier ideals. The misuse of AI systems to create and spread information and media will flood media services with so much junk and misinformation that it will become nearly impossible to understand what is real or not.

People will seek out ways to manually navigate towards places that feel authentic. What that will look like, I do not know. However, the manual effort of curating digital content is one potential path; and thus, the spirit of Web 1.0 rises again.