If the Internet is Dead, Can it Still Foster Human Connection?

scrolling for fun on an internet of bots and slop.

My first job in corporate social media was in 2014. I pitched and drafted Buzzfeed-style listicles for food brands like Reddi-wip.

The portfolio that got me the job was a Chicago pizza blog a friend and I started out of the listlessness of having graduated with hospitality and liberal arts degrees in the early 2010s.

In the 12 years since, I’ve continued building a career in social media.

I’ve watched the landscape evolve from Ashton Kutcher’s Twitter updates to brands as publishers to Cambridge Analytica to platforms as community hubs to short form videos to live shopping to creators to influencers. And, yes, I am exhausted.

For better or worse–every iteration of social media has had one thing in common – people.

Until now.

Like the internet, social has been fundamentally defined by the principles of intrinsic connection. Its purpose has centered around human affiliation, communication, shared values, beliefs and expressions.

We can debate if the benefits of social media outweigh its societal pitfalls. We can acknowledge that social media has expanded our circle of “parasocial” relationships at the expense of our actual social relationships. We can complain about brainrot and doomscrolling. And we can admit that being “chronically online” isn’t a flex, it’s a red flag.

But, if the internet is dead, can it still be a space where we find and foster human connection?

Admission is the first step. The AI era is here. Robots are shifting how social media functions. But I believe humans still shape and define the principles of social media.

Robots and algorithms can continue to control how the social platforms work. But people dictate how social behaves.

As cynical as I may be, I believe people’s behaviors are best when they’re having fun. Having fun is a breeding ground for authenticity and connection.

These weekly roundups are my attempts to prove to the social media industry and myself that scrolling for fun on an internet of bots is still possible.

If you believe the internet should be fun, please subscribe.