More or Less: Behind the Stats How dead is the internet?
38 snips
May 17, 2025 The podcast investigates the intriguing concept of the 'dead internet theory', suggesting that bots might dominate online activity. It reveals that over half of internet traffic could be generated by these autonomous programs. Listeners learn about the dual nature of bots—some serve useful purposes, while others engage in harmful activities. The discussion highlights the unseen battle of bots, especially their influence on social media, impacting everything from elections to marketing strategies. Tune in for a fascinating exploration of what really fuels the web!
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Understanding the Dead Internet Theory
- The "Dead Internet Theory" claims most online content is AI-generated and the internet is basically dead.
- This is false, but the internet is indeed filled with non-human bots impacting traffic and interactions.
What Bots Really Are
- Bots are autonomous software that interact online, often part of botnets carrying out malicious activities like denial of service attacks.
- These bots differ from social media bots but significantly affect internet traffic and performance.
Bots Beyond Social Media
- Bots range from damaging attackers to helpful crawlers that index web pages for search engines like Google.
- The 50% internet traffic stat refers mostly to hidden bot activity, not visible content bots.