The Internet Isn't Dead - It's Wounded
- Tom Shankapotomous
- May 1
- 4 min read
Updated: May 9
A Call for Human-Centered Content
ShankGym.Com is powered entirely by human creativity. Every article here is written by real people—with all the quirks and imperfections that entails—then refined using grammar and spell-checking tools. The final product represents human dedication, not algorithmic content farming.
With more than 40 years in IT, I’ve built intranets, e-commerce platforms, and content management systems—some of which I designed from scratch, others I implemented. These experiences inform my ongoing research into how the internet has evolved. As a part-time university faculty member for the past 25 years and a PhD holder in Business and Information Systems, I acknowledge my role in helping shape today’s web, and frankly, I regret some of it. The Internet started as a forum for sharing ideas and information; today, it feels like a corporate funnel of automated and fake content.
Now, through this website, I’m taking small steps toward fixing what I helped build. I also invite other creators to join me.
A Digital World on Autopilot
The modern internet feels paradoxical: vast, yet vacant. This aligns with the Dead Internet Theory, a 2021 hypothesis originating on a retro internet forum. It suggests much of today’s online content is artificially generated by bots and algorithms, not genuine human interaction (Agora Road, 2021).
Whether or not the theory is fully accurate, many of its observations are supported by data.
Evidence That the Internet Is “Dying”
Rise in Bot Traffic
In 2022, “bad bot” traffic made up 27.7% of all global internet activity, according to cybersecurity firm Imperva (Imperva, 2023). These bots scrape content, impersonate humans, and flood social platforms.
Independent research shows that as many as 20% of Twitter accounts may be bots (Varol et al., 2017), despite Twitter's own lower estimates.
AI-Generated Content Flood
By 2023, NewsGuard identified over 400 websites publishing AI-generated articles without disclosure (NewsGuard, 2023). These pieces often resemble human writing but lack nuance, context, and accountability—leading to content saturation.
Decline of Organic Search Quality
Academic studies have shown that modern SEO practices promote repetitive, templated writing. One study titled SEO is Dead, Long Live SEO highlights how search engines now reward freshness and keyword density over depth and originality (Koutrika et al., 2022).
Another study shows that AI-optimized content increasingly dominates top search results, pushing out genuine voices (Vincent et al., 2023).
Platform Algorithms Flatten Creativity
Social platforms have replaced chronological feeds with algorithmic curation. Facebook’s leaked internal research revealed that engagement-driven algorithms often promote outrage over truth (The Guardian, 2021).
Platforms now favor what's clickable, not what’s thoughtful.
Why This Should Worry Writers
As creators, we're losing visibility and connection:
Original work is buried beneath AI churn.
Algorithmic metrics reward safe, redundant content.
Reader trust declines as authenticity vanishes.
The creative web is flattening into sameness. For writers who care about depth and voice, this isn’t just frustrating—it’s existential.
What Writers and Creators Can Do
1. Prioritize Voice Over SEO
Write like a human for humans. Authentic tone is harder to replicate and connects more deeply. Readers engage longer when content features distinctive storytelling, not just information (Nielsen Norman Group, 2020).
2. Own Your Platform
Your domain is your digital home. Tools like Ghost, Substack, and self-hosted WordPress let you build without algorithmic interference. As of 2023, Substack had 2 million paid newsletter subscribers (Substack, 2023), showing audiences will support real creators.
3. Depth Over Volume
AI excels at bulk—but not meaning. Long-form, insightful writing still earns trust. Articles over 2,000 words earn more backlinks and engagement than shorter posts (HubSpot, 2022).
🔍 4. Show Your Process
Transparency matters. Share your sources, thinking, and yes—even your use of AI (if any). Modern audiences value honesty more than polish.
5. Foster Real Communities
Seek real interaction in spaces where bots can’t thrive: forums, niche newsletters, or invite-only Discord servers.
Example: The Defector and Every.to have built loyal communities by prioritizing authenticity over virality.
6. Use AI as a Tool, Not a Substitute
AI is useful for drafting or proofreading, but overreliance contributes to the digital noise. Ask:
Is this enriching the conversation?
Would I proudly attach my name to this?
If the answer is no, don’t publish it.
What Platforms Should Do (But Won’t)
Big tech could:
Add tools to trace content origin.
Make recommendation algorithms transparent.
Support indie creators with revenue sharing.
But as long as ad dollars drive decisions, meaningful change is unlikely. Creators must adapt, not wait.
What I’m Doing—Besides Complaining
Keeping ShankGym.com free of paywalls.
Using AI only to assist—not replace—my writing.
Creating a WebRing of like-minded human-first websites, these content creators are on my home page, and I hope to grow it as much as makes sense.
Launching a Substack for deeper, monetizable content.
Conclusion: Creativity Is Resistance
The internet isn’t dead, but it’s bruised by automation and overload. Without deliberate resistance, human voices will be drowned out by synthetic ones.
But there’s still time. In a sea of sameness, thoughtful writing becomes a radical act.
References
Agora Road. (2021). Dead Internet Theory: Most of the Internet is Fake. Retrieved from https://forums.agoraroad.com
Imperva. (2023). Bad Bot Report 2023. Retrieved from https://www.imperva.com/resources/resource-library/reports/bad-bot-report-2023/
Koutrika, G., et al. (2022). SEO is Dead, Long Live SEO. Proceedings of the ACM Web Conference. https://doi.org/10.1145/3485447.3512194
NewsGuard. (2023). Top AI-generated news sites tracked by NewsGuard. Retrieved from https://www.newsguardtech.com/special-reports/top-ai-generated-news-sites/
Nielsen Norman Group. (2020). Writing Digital Content That Works. Retrieved from https://www.nngroup.com/articles/writing-digital-content/
Substack. (2023). State of Substack Q1 2023. Retrieved from https://on.substack.com
The Guardian. (2021). Facebook whistleblower reveals identity, accuses firm of choosing profit over safety. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com
Varol, O., Ferrara, E., Davis, C., Menczer, F., & Flammini, A. (2017). Online Human-Bot Interactions: Detection, Estimation, and Characterization. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/1703.03107
Vincent, N., et al. (2023). Generative Search Engine Results and the Future of Information. Center for Research on Foundation Models. https://crfm.stanford.edu/2023/06/01/generative-search.html
HubSpot. (2022). Blogging Benchmark Report. Retrieved from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/blog-post-length
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