The Dead Internet Theory is an online conspiracy theory that asserts much of today’s internet activity is generated by bots and AI rather than real people. This week, Chase, Harper, and Alexander break down Dead Internet Theory, why it’s important, and what it means to create in the age of AI. This is The Furious Curious podcast, where we explore culture to inspire creators. TIMESTAMPS: 00:20 - Definition 06:00 - Examples 07:40 - Suspending Disbelief 10:10 - Youth and the Digital World 12:30 - Downsides 13:20 - What the Bots Say About the Bots 14:20 - Hypotheticals 15:20 - The Alternatives That May Re-emerge 19:05 - Reasons Why: A Premium on Human-Made 21:40 - Reasons Why: The Rise of Large Language Models (LLMs) 23:15 - Reasons Why: The ’16 Election 24:20 - Media Literacy 26:10 - The Evolution of Twitter (X) 27:15 - “The Inversion” 29:40 - Reasons Why: Do Social Media Companies Love Bots? 31:10 - Reasons Why: The Rise of Fake Images 35:52 - The Creative Opportunity FOLLOW: LinkedIn SOURCES: Wikipedia: Dead Internet Theory Springer Article New York Magazine: How Much of the Internet Is Fake? The Atlantic: Dead Internet Theory YouTube Video CREDITS: Hosted and produced by Britton Rice, along with David Harper, Alexander Woell, Chase Domergue, Alex Detmering, and Nicole Lazar. Our original logo is by Nate Betts. ©2024 The Furious Curious