The Dead Internet Theory
Click Farms, AI, and Shrimp Jesus – Is Any Of It Real?
The old quote “I think therefore I am.” was never thought to be able to describe the faceless names across the internet.
In the dimly lit backrooms of nondescript warehouses, thousands of smartphones blink lifelessly, their screens and batteries removed, hooked up as digital zombies to a central computer. Welcome to the world of phone farms, where one click farmer’s command can summon a legion of interactions – likes, follows, comments, and star ratings – with eerie precision. Each phone masquerades as an individual user, partaking in an elaborate scheme that fuels the bustling digital economy.
Click Farm Cash Cow
Why go through the trouble? Simply, it's a profitable business. Engagement is currency: two cents for every thousand views on TikTok and eleven cents for every thousand likes on Instagram. While it may seem like small change, scale it up to the thousands of devices in a click farm, and the profits quickly add up. In 2018, it was estimated that a third of all online traffic in China was generated by these farms. But don’t dismiss this as a far-off problem – click farming is happening in living rooms and basements across the US, Japan, and Australia.
Roy Rosenfeld, Head of DoubleVerify’s Fraud Lab, highlights the magnitude of this phenomenon. His company, which focuses on ad fraud, estimates that incentivised traffic apps generate between 100 and 300 million ad requests monthly—and that’s just from one company. Is the internet becoming a grand illusion crafted for profit and manipulation?
The Dead Internet Theory,
A somewhat dystopian notion that most online activity and content are now generated by artificial intelligence rather than humans. According to this theory, bots and AI agents create posts, images, and videos to farm engagement on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. These digital constructs not only create content but also interact with it, forming a self-sustaining loop of artificial engagement. Case in point: the bizarre trend of “shrimp Jesus” – hyper-realistic images of crustaceans with the face of Jesus Christ, amassing thousands of likes and comments.
While the shrimp Jesus phenomenon might seem harmless (albeit f*cken weird), the implications of AI-driven content run deeper. As these accounts grow in followers, their perceived legitimacy increases. This is where the theory takes a darker turn – these high-follower accounts can be weaponised, sold to the highest bidder, and used for sophisticated propaganda efforts.
Safety In Numbers
The internet, an anonymous platform of free expression, is increasingly becoming a playground for bad actors. In 2018, a study found that Russian troll accounts impersonated US citizens to sway public opinion. This isn't a new trick – following mass shootings in the US, bot-generated posts have been found to amplify and distort narratives, shaping public discourse in unsettling ways.
More recently, pro-Russian disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining support for Ukraine have come to light. Using over 10,000 bot accounts, these campaigns flooded X (formerly Twitter, get real, no one calls it X) with tens of thousands of pro-Russian messages, falsely attributed to US and European celebrities.
The scale of bot influence is staggering. Reports suggest that nearly half of all internet traffic in 2022 was generated by bots. With advances in generative AI, the quality and believability of fake content are only improving.
Sci-Fi Dystopia?
Does this mean the internet as we know it is dead? The dead internet theory doesn't claim that all personal interactions online are fake. Rather, it serves as a cautionary tale about the increasing influence of synthetic content and the manipulation of public perception. The freedom to create and share thoughts online is what made the internet powerful, and it is this power that bad actors seek to control.
Social media platforms are not blind to this issue. Elon Musk’s proposal to require X users to pay for membership aims to deter bot farms *dumb idea*. However, as social media giants struggle to balance engagement with authenticity, the dead internet theory reminds us to be sceptical. Navigate the digital landscape with a critical mind – the next viral trend or "overall sentiment" could very well be a product of algorithms designed to manipulate your worldview.
In the end, while the internet may not be completely dead, it is certainly haunted. And as we continue to interact with this digital ghost, we must remain vigilant and discerning, lest we fall prey to the invisible strings of the puppeteers.
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