How The Cringey OpenAI Brand Trip Proves Dead Internet Theory
About this episode
The episode discusses the implications of dead internet theory and the influencer recession with insights from Cousin Caroline.
TL;DR: Dead internet theory is true, the influencer recession is upon us, OpenAI brand trip cringe, and the real meaning of AI psychosis. Courtenay consorts with Cousin Caroline, a friend of the pod and Bay Area native who currently resides in the belly of the AI beast—San Francisco. We discuss how a fringe message-board conspiracy theory became a mainstream talking point and what "dead internet theory" actually means for (human) internet users. While AI remains central to the theory, our discussion focuses more on some of the forces that brought us here: capitalism, greed, and enshittification (redundant?). The so-called “enshittification” of the internet is inextricably linked to the “dead internet" conversation. It’s not just that bots are flooding the internet; it’s also that the internet is becoming more and more unusable for HUMANS. Even the parts of the internet that emerged organically, like influencing, inevitably become tools of capitalism, hollowed of authenticity and used merely as vehicles to sell us more stuff. But we may have reached a tipping point. According to NY Mag, we’re in an influencer recession—and it’s causing some content creators to stoop…
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