The ability of artificial intelligence to automate content that floods the internet with low-quality (analog) material
When it comes to our online experience, “the era, It changes“As Bob Dylan would say. You can't say what it is, but on the Internet it sure sounds different today.
For someless fun and less useful“Do what it was before. For others, online research is based on”cookie cutter“Pages that contain useful information are saturated with traffic, spam, and AI-generated content.”
Their social media feeds are filled with engaging, provocative, highly targeted, or suspicious content, from Strange images created by artificial intelligence To get comments similar to theft. You will see that your video feeds are not just blackmail to “increase their volume”.
How do we get here? Can we recover or walk?
return of commercial interest
One important factor contributing to the current state of the Internet is its over-commercialization: financial reasons drive a large portion of content. This is likely to lead to sensationalism, prioritizing virality over quality information.
Covert and misleading advertising is widespread, mixing commercial and non-commercial content to attract more attention and engagement.
Another driving force is the domain of tech giants like Google, Meta, and Amazon. We have billions of dollars around the world and wield enormous power over the content we consume.
Their platforms use advanced tracking technologies and opaque algorithms to create highly targeted media content, backed by extensive user data. Esso Crea Filter ballsWhere users are exposed to limited content that reinforces their existing beliefs and preconceptions. Echo chambers Where other points of view are actively distorted.
Moss Cybercriminals and coup plotters There has been a persistent problem online. However, the development of technology, such as generative artificial intelligence, has enabled it to create highly realistic fake images and deepfake videos. audio cloning.
AI’s ability to automate the content creation process is also flooding the internet with low-quality, deceptive, and harmful material on an unprecedented scale.
In short, the rapid commercialization of the Internet, the dominance of two media technology giants, and the presence of more actors infiltrating Internet content. The rise of artificial intelligence is exacerbating this situation, making the Internet more chaotic than ever.
remains part of the internet
So, what is this “hot internet” that some of us are nostalgic about?
At first, the Internet was to be a free and equal place where people could “surf” and “surf.” Knowledge was meant to be shared: sites like Wikipedia and the Internet Archive are continuous bastions of knowledge.
Before the advent of filter bags, the Internet was a creative playground where people explored different ideas, discussed diverse viewpoints, and collaborated with individuals from “outgroups”—those outside two social circles who might hold opposing views.
The first social media platforms were built on the spirit of reconnecting with long-lost classmates and family members. Many of us have community groups, friends, and family that we keep in touch with online. The “connectedness” aspect of the internet is still more important than ever—as we’ve all seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Or what do we want to keep? Privacy. A 1993 New Yorker cartoon design review stated that “On the internet no one knows you're a puppy.“Now everyone – especially advertisers – wants to know what you're saying. To quote or Australian Information Commission OfficeOne of the principles of privacy is “the ability to control what information about you can be seen or used.”
At the very least, we want to control what big tech knows about us, especially if they can benefit from it.
Can we go back?
We can't control the “action” times, but we can keep the segments as short as possible.
At first, we could vote like everyone else. Users could promote changes and raise awareness about issues on existing platforms. Recently, we’ve seen this as User migration do X (old Twitter) for other platforms, eo I am protesting the entire platform against Reddit. to change their policies regarding access to third party data.
Therefore, voting like others is only possible if there is competition. In this case, search engines also have alternatives, such as DuckDuckGo or Ecosia.
However, at the same time, it can only be created by moving to decentralized systems and eliminating two monopolies. “This already happened in the early days of the Internet, during the 1990s.”Browser Wars“When Microsoft was accused of illegally monopolizing the web browser market, Historic Court Case.
As users of technology, we all need to remain relatively vigilant about our privacy and knowledge. With cheap and ubiquitous generative AI, misleading content and more realistic strikes than ever before.
We need to exercise a healthy degree of skepticism and ensure that those at highest risk from online activity – such as children and young people – are informed of potential harm.
Be aware that the internet is not optimized for your interests. It is up to you to decide how much power you give to the tech giants who feed you.
Mark CheungSenior Professor of Information Systems, School of Computing and Information Systems; Senior Member (Emeritus) of the Melbourne Law School, at the University of Melbourne and Wonsan ShinAssociate Professor of Media and Communication, at the University of Melbourne
This article was republished from To speak Under a Creative Commons license. Leah O. Original Artego.
(Except that this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
