Dead Internet Theory: Something Strange has Happened to the Internet...

2 years ago
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In this video, we review a thread that was posted on an internet forum that posits the internet as it used to exist is dead. At the beginning of the internet, there were tons of amazing and original websites and content. It really was like the wild wild west. While the internet was always a creation and tool of the military, it was first sold to us as a way to empower citizens and democratize media.

We were told the internet would help spread democracy around the world. That it would help bring freedom. At first, that seemed to be true but then something happened. Governments and corporations slowly began locking it down. They began to change the internet and turn it into a tool for manipulation, propaganda, social engineering, advertising, and mindless consumerism.

Governments began using it for mass global surveillance and tracking. Corporations began using it for personalized, micro-targeted adverts. Big Tech started sucking up all competition and turning into the global conglomerates we see today. They saw they could use their platforms for social engineering and to "nudge" people. They start employing behavior modification and other psychological operations on their users.

Say something the company doesn't like? Now you are in time out. Promote something the company likes, and your post gets boosted and you get a dopamine rush. Eventually, people learn to modify their behavior in a way that is consistent with what the algorithms and platforms want.

Link to Thread:
https://forum.agoraroad.com/index.php?threads/dead-internet-theory-most-of-the-internet-is-fake.3011/

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