.png)
The Dead Internet Theory
- Christophe Jauquet
- Mar 17
- 6 min read
A story about the Dead Internet Theory and why it might also be coming for your health.
"When strategising for the future, most companies realise that, in essence, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀."
Welcome to "It's a Healthusiasm World ".
About every two weeks, this newsletter explores and explains how Health shapes the future of our world and every business in it.
More than 5.500 people joined this Healthusiasm movement already.
You can also join for free: www.christophejauquet.com/blog
Sometimes, late at night, I also scroll endlessly through my feed. Then I start wondering: am I even "interacting" with real people anymore, or are these a bunch of smombies (smartphone zombies) trapped in an algorithm? Perhaps I'm in contact with a digital machine? While I used to discover websites through accidental links, it now feels like I'm unwillingly escorted into some strange, virtual limbo where algorithms silently dictate every post I see, every video I binge-watch, and every eerily spot-on recommendation. Gone are the spontaneous days when surfing the web felt like embarking on a discovery—unpredictable, wild, and human.
Lately, the internet feels less like a vibrant town square and more like an abandoned house with ghosts. The serendipity, creativity, and genuine connections I used to enjoy when discovering websites or forums have given way to passive consumption, predictable patterns and real-looking unrealness. I can't help but ask myself: Is the internet dead, and have we turned into zombies?
Let's dive into this unsettling digital reality together—maybe there's still a way to revive its pulse. Well,... maybe we have to...
-- this time around, I've really went all in to write in a more of columnistic style. --
Hope you enjoy
Is the Internet Dead Yet?
Remember when the internet felt like a limitless frontier—a digital Wild West where anyone could stake their claim, post a blog about their cat, or accidentally stumble onto conspiracy forums at 2 a.m.? Sadly, those days seem about as extinct as dial-up modems. Welcome to the "Dead Internet Theory," a playful-yet-haunting notion suggesting our world wide web has devolved from an open, vibrant ecosystem into something less exciting: a shopping mall run by faceless algorithms and tech overlords.
Back in the optimistic chaos of Web 1.0, browsing felt like wandering through a boundless library filled with fascinating - yet occasionally questionable - volumes. By Web 2.0, we were all authors and critics, cheerfully generating content and curating our digital lives on social platforms. But freedom came at a price—platforms like Facebook and YouTube took control, nudging our creative utopia into neat, monetizable packages. Enter Web 3.0 and beyond, where smartphones sealed us into polished, app-driven prisons, and algorithms decided precisely what we'd like to binge-watch or listen to next (cfr. the Spotify or Netflix reality)
Today, instead of surfing freely, we float passively down algorithm-crafted rivers. Apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook—smoothly designed to ensure we never leave—trap us within their carefully manicured walled gardens. Every swipe, click, and "heart" feeds the beast, creating hyper-personalized digital bubbles (echochambers) that feel eerily comfortable but intellectually claustrophobic.
Worse yet, platforms stopped prioritizing interesting or diverse content years ago. Now, if it's not outrageously clickable, commercially viable, or optimized to keep eyeballs glued, forget about seeing it. The result? We all live in comfortable, echo-chambered illusions, happily consuming the same recycled, hyper-tailored information loops.
Maybe it's time to mourn the internet's passing—or better yet, demand its revival. Until then, perhaps we should rename this once-glorious "information superhighway" to something more fitting: "algorithmic cul-de-sac."
Ironically, AI—the very tech meant to liberate our creativity—is pushing this digital malaise further. Why bother sifting through genuine human thoughts when generative algorithms can spit out viral-ready content faster than any sleep-deprived influencer?
A.I. = Artificially Interesting
Say goodbye to googling for answers, visiting carefully designed websites or stumbling through dozens of browser tabs—AI chatbots have arrived to spoon-feed you bite-sized nuggets of "wisdom" tailored to what you want to hear. But buyer beware: these clever assistants might (read: will) also spoon-feed you a steady diet of subtle bias and misinformation. After all, why do the heavy lifting of critical thinking when you have a slick AI whispering ready-made summaries into your ear?
The rise of AI chatbots as primary knowledge brokers means the end of digging through diverse sources yourself. While this seems convenient, it could be disastrous for independent thought—and for our mental well-being. Users risk becoming passive sponges, soaking up curated tidbits without questioning accuracy or neutrality, undermining critical thinking skills and making them more vulnerable to anxiety and misinformation. Meanwhile, traditional news outlets and forums—the very champions of diverse ideas—face a grim future if their insights are distilled by AI without sending traffic their way. Goodbye nuanced discussions, hello AI-generated echo chambers (or EchoPersona as I write about in "Trends in the Transformation Economy").
But AI won't stop at just curating your information diet. Brace yourself, because AI is aiming to be your new therapist, life coach, career advisor, and even your best friend. Forget about autonomy—soon enough, algorithms might be deciding who you date, what job you pursue, and how you handle personal crises. Convenient? Sure. But it’s the digital equivalent of outsourcing your soul, eroding our emotional agency, resilience, and the fundamental human capacity for personal growth.
And here's the kicker: AI isn't content merely predicting behavior—it wants to shape your emotions too. Thanks to advanced psychological profiling, these algorithms can now whip up tailored content designed to trigger your feelings—fear, joy, nostalgia, outrage—turning passive browsing into addictive clicking frenzies. The mental health impact is undeniable: increased anxiety, depression, stress, and a growing disconnect from genuine human interactions. Welcome to an internet engineered for maximum emotional manipulation, steering you gently but firmly toward particular products, politics, or beliefs without you even noticing. It's that bad even ChatGPT now needs a therapist (read this article).
Looking ahead, today's recommendation engines are evolving into immersive digital universes crafted exclusively around your preferences. Soon, AI might create entire virtual worlds perfectly aligned with your beliefs and biases, isolating you in comfortable cocoons of curated reality. Interactions with AI-generated virtual friends, influencers, or entire digital communities may soon blur the line between reality and artifice, further eroding genuine human connection, deepening isolation, and negatively impacting our emotional health.
Here's the uncomfortable truth we're facing: Will the internet as a vibrant, diverse meeting place of ideas and meaningful interactions continue to disappear? Is it doomed to become an algorithmically controlled amusement park where critical thinking, autonomy, and real human connection fade quietly away?
Our choice is simple: Either we start treating technology more holistically, or we risk waking up in a world crafted by—and for—the algorithm and neural networks.
It's coming for your health as well
It’s no secret: The internet has become a soulless, algorithm-driven wasteland. You could state it is replaced by walled-off apps and whispering AI optimized for clicks and engagement. Yet, amid the digital downfall, there's hope: Healthusiasm and Holistech Futures. Healthusiasm refers to the growing human desire for products, services, and experiences that actively contribute to personal health, happiness, and well-being. Regarding technology, this argues for "Holistech Futures" that embodies a more holistic approach to technology strategy, ensuring digital solutions enhance human life across physical, emotional, and social dimensions rather than merely capturing attention.
We’re in the middle of a significant shift—the Transformation Economy. Consumers don’t just want entertainment or convenience; they crave genuine personal improvement and meaningful life experiences. Businesses that understand this won't just survive—they’ll thrive by offering digital experiences that foster real-life enrichment rather than endless scrolling.
Imagine a future where your digital platforms aren't designed to addict you, but to empower you. Instead of fueling digital burnout, empathetic AI could recognize stress, suggest breaks, and foster healthier behaviors like mindfulness or offline social interactions. Platforms could prioritize authentic human content, filtering out noise and bots, creating digital spaces conducive to thoughtful discussions rather than manufactured outrage.
Ultimately, the internet as originally intended may be dead, but that doesn’t mean new technology has to become a dead zone of passive consumption. It can—and should—become a thriving ecosystem of personal transformation, authentic connections, and genuine human flourishing. The companies that embrace this future, turning digital engagement into opportunities for real-life enrichment, will define the next golden age of "the internet" and our future world.
By integrating Healthusiasm principles, business leaders today have the opportunity to shape Holistech Futures that prioritize humanity over engagement, well-being over addiction, and transformation over passive consumption.
The question should no longer be how much time people spend online—but rather how well technology contributes to their happiness, health, and fulfillment.
Let's not just keep people online.
Instead, let's make their lives better, even when they happen to be online.
One way to fight the Dead of Internet, is to subscribe to my website. Because how the hell would you otherwise discover this wonderful piece of authentic smartness ;-)
-Christophe-
Kommentare