Not Content with just Content

I listened to a rather enlightening theory recently known as the “Dead Internet Theory”. In it, it discusses the fact that the ‘content’ we put online, is lost in a sea of replicated and AI generated crap, designed to tick boxes that are read by other bots and AI routines. It speculates that over half of the users and activity on the internet these days is automatically created or tailored nonsense designed to appease algorithms to get it promoted. That means less than half of the world’s users of the internet are actually people.

What does that mean for artists and creators? 

It’s a dangerous time indeed. If you’re a writer, artist, blogger, journalist, game designer, film maker, etc. you can put your heart and soul into something and put it online only for it to be lost in a sea of generated crap just because you did something different and didn’t appease the algorithmic gods.

It’s like this post. This post is about creativity and writing. But if I don’t add an image, it’s not going to get seen. So I add an image.

Me, when I worked for the council’s archaeology department as an on-site illustrator (circa 1988-89)

By adding an image, even though what I’m writing doesn’t need it, I’m appeasing the algorithm. Sooner or later, we’ll all be doing it. You write a post and it doesn’t get as much engagement as another post, and so you start customising what you’re writing just to get more views. Just so you get noticed in the sea of content that’s out there.

It’s like the TV series “Dead Pixels” when Nicky is just making the spooning action just shovelling ‘content’ into his face. We’re surrounded by so much content at the moment that it’s hard to get anything noticed without appeasing the algorithmic gods. 

A feature on BBC news today interviewed a Michael Fortin about the state of Hollywood and how streaming has impacted film and television, and it’s just the same - there’s simply so much ‘content’ out there, the big producers are struggling to get their products seen. So they assume it’s no good, cancel it, and try something else. Or remake something that was successful before. 

And that could be my problem. There’s just too much to see, too much to read, and algorithms are hiding half of it.

Tabletop Scotland didn't help - wandering around the halls and looking at the hundreds of cool games on display and I just felt "why am I bothering? No one's going to see anything I make with all these cool games out there". 

What's the solution?

You Do It To Yourself, You Do...

To paraphrase Radiohead, going back to my earlier post about where the name "Autocratik" comes from, the only solution I can see is to do what other creators have done. Do what you want, and don't give a monkey's.