The life we are living is precarious. It is fickle. And I say this because I wonder are we truly living a life we desire or are we merely the sheep following the herd?
This question I ask because I read an interesting theory called the “Dead Internet Theory”. What the theory proposes is that the internet is largely dominated by bots and programs operating on algorithms. By large, the theory states that the internet is no longer dominated by humans as it has been for years past.
Some sources state that platforms like Instagram have fallen victim to bots and computer-controlled programs. These sources also state that close to 60% of the content generated on Instagram (and the users behind them) is AI-generated or assisted by AI in some shape or form.
And this I believe. There is a voice that international creators love using as a voice-over for their content. At first, I thought that this voice belonged to a human. Then I realised how this voice would mispronounce simple words. If a word had one extra letter, the voice would struggle a bit to pronounce the word. It was only after I read more about the Dead Internet Theory and watched a YouTuber go to a site that has these different voices did I realise the voice is fake.
And that’s not where the rabbit hole ends. I also learnt that certain Only Fans models have AI-generated versions of themselves that they sell to their subscribers as “virtual girlfriends”. These AI-generated versions of themselves have the voice and appearance of the Only Fans creator. I know right? It sounds like an episode from Black Mirror.
These are but a few examples of how fake the internet has become. I mean, people believed that Giga Chad was a real man until the creator revealed he was a figment of her imagination. Yes, there are AI-generated influencers on Instagram. And I am intentional to call them influencers as they get sponsorship deals and brand deals as if they were real.
This is the point I want to base the post on. You know, you’ll see a young man happy with breaking a personal record at the gym and post on Instagram. Fundamentally nothing wrong with this. But then, you scroll and you see a similar-looking guy like you breaking a lower personal record and yet his body is better ripped and he gets more likes and comments than you. Out of curiosity you go to the profile picture and you notice that the account is smaller than yours. Out of further curiosity, you check the guy’s profile out. You notice it is impeccable. Everything is clean, everything luxurious. The man’s page has no flaw. You begin to wonder, what is wrong with you?
The same with the young lady who will post at exclusive restaurants and exclusive hotels. You see, I ask myself is that something you want to do or are you doing it due to the Instagramification of our modern life? Hence, I said there’s fundamentally nothing wrong with the young man posting his personal record but in the same breath, there is something wrong there. Why has it become a norm to share so freely our private lives with strangers?
You see, I discovered that these social media platforms actually want us to share our private lives. Nothing new there right? Yes. But please bear with me. Remember when Threads came out? It was marketed and promoted as this positive and safe space. I remember how there were about two seminars on campus and the “experts” were saying the same thing.
It was bulldust. Almost two weeks in, the platform started recommending violent crimes on my feed. Almost two weeks in, the platform started recommending posts with links to explicit sites. And like the parent company Instagram (and the grandparent Facebook), I am pretty certain that the developers at Threads are very aware of these not so positive content. Because at the end of the day, such content gets the most reaction. A murder case is more interesting than a group of teenagers cleaning their neighbourhood.
And so, it leads me back to the question, are we truly living the life we desire or are we living a life tailored for the Gram? I mean I am from a very small town. The fanciest restaurant you could take a picture at was Spur. Before the evident of social media, we went to enjoy the experience. So now, that essence of enjoying the experience of something is no longer as potent anymore. Instead, it is about how good it will look on Instagram. Well you moving and looking for the perfect angle, that delicious steak grows cold, ruining the taste the chef had intended.
And that is the magic trick, the illusion that the platforms use for you to stay on their platforms. They have (or they allow) these fake content creators (or fake lifestyles of real content creators) to create lives that most desire. And we humans tend to emulate what we desire. We humans tend to learn from modelling others. These fake creators create a fake lifestyle that might be an inspiration for you. Like the Giga Chad with his fake body, young men would look at such a man and aspire to be like him. There was a time when some influencers had products that they promised to improve one’s jawline. And some used Giga Chad’s perfect jawline as the aftereffect of that useless product.
And because these platforms promise social acceptance and wealth, a person will believe that something is wrong with them when they are not generating wealth or being accepted. They will believe that maybe they should post and create more content. Few realise that it’s all fake.
All large-scale (and some mid range) influencers confess to the fact that for them to blow up, they had to pay. VICE once did a documentary about influencers and revealed that money, not your content, not your personality, none of the “Top 10 Ways to Grow an Instagram Account” work. All the influencers in that documentary said that money was the key to their internet fame. I mean look at Mr. Beast. Do you honestly believe it’s him translating his content that led to his fame and fortune? And even if it might be one of the keys to his success, how do you think he pays for the translators? Money.
Money to promote on Instagram.
Money to enter social parties with influencers.
Money to work with bigger influencers.
Even the dark side of buying followers and bots that respond automatically on your behalf.
Money.
At the end of the day, that’s what Instagram and these social media platforms want. Everything else is simply a systematised way to get us on the platform. Trust me, no one cares about your little business. No one cares about the personal record you broke. No one cares about your life. Especially not on the internet. The illusion to think they do is how these platforms keep you on the platform.
Instagram and any other social media platforms want to generate money. Give the platform money and the platform will give you the attention you desire. If you are a food content creator, spend on quality food and get quality recording equipment. If you want to be a brainless influencer whose fame comes from being handsome or beautiful, spend money on getting the best grooming kits for your skin, outfits and the excess to go to exclusive clubs and resorts.
Our lives have, unfortunately, been altered by social media. Like the internet that erupted and altered the way humans communicate and get information, social media has changed our perceptions of what’s real and what’s not. What’s scary is that it is all going to get worse with Meta and Apple dead set on creating virtual worlds that mimic the real world. Personally, the Apple Vision Pro scares the bones out of my system. But, we’ll talk about that another day.
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