The dead internet is here.
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Social media platforms are slowly dying, but not in the way you'd expect.
They’re not shutting down. They’re becoming non-human.
AI bots are all over our feeds, posting content, commenting on posts, and even engaging with other bots. It’s a sad state.
I feel it in the comments section. It’s fake. Responses are wildly enthusiastic, long-winded, and all sound exactly the same. And they sure don't sound like real people.
Because they aren't.
We're in the very early stages of an internet where algorithms talk to algorithms, bots engage with bots, and human beings are the minority voice.
Think I'm exaggerating? If I had to guess, I’d estimate that 90% of the comments on my social media are AI-generated. Even if a human being is pressing the button that generates the response, how long until even that is automated?
This all sounds like bad news. But there’s a bit of a silver lining. While social media becomes more artificial, something else is happening. Something much better.
Real conversations are moving underground.
The most interesting thinkers, creators, authors, and entrepreneurs I know are slowly pulling away from the performative spaces of public social media. They're creating invite-only groups. Private Discords. Exclusive memberships. Smaller, more intimate gatherings where real conversations happen without a bunch of artificial noise.
These are smartly curated spaces where people can speak up honestly, explore ideas together, and build extremely powerful networks.
I've been in several private groups for the last 3 years, and the difference is night and day. Nobody cares about going viral. No one's writing their next “hot take.” It's just smart people talking about the topics that actually matter.
The move to private spaces is simply a survival mechanism. When social media becomes dominated by fake voices optimized for engagement instead of truth, the only normal human response is to find another place to talk.
I think it's all pretty ironic. Social media was supposed to be the great connector. But the ability to automate and AI everything will ultimately disconnect everyone there.
So, what should you do?
Find your tribe. Build your small group. Go where the algorithm can't find you.
Social media has always been fake. An exaggerative place for flexing and posturing. But now that fakeness is automated and scalable. Genuine connection is the new ultimate luxury.
Dead social media is already here.
The question is: where will you now find life?
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The very thing AI and bots can’t provide is the exact demand (and desire) they drive: connection.
Building, curating and fostering communities, like this one, is needed more now than ever.
Interestingly Justin, I think the irony is that the tools are now no longer the advantage. It’s how we use them will set us apart. We’ll find our competitive edge if we use the human tools of critical thinking, empathy and perspective. I love the idea of the subversive thinker that you allude to.