I could've made a rant about AI a long time ago, but everything's kinda been building up on my view on it, and I've recently watched a video that made me think more about the internet. So I wanted to just get my thoughts down. Here's the video by the way:
I haven't really heard of the dead internet theory before this, and honestly, I'm not really a "theory" kind of person either. But... can't say I didn't feel like some parts of this theory ring true to me.
Back in 2016-17, I was attending college for the first time, a young and fresh mind finished within my little bubble of high school (I was homeschooled for high school by the way, but that's a can of worms) and going out to experience different avenues of life and expand my learning sphere. Also that was the time Trump and Clinton were going at it.
I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how life felt so, so different to me before this effin' election began. Like literally, looking back on it, it felt like the precursor to a whole new era of life for me - one where I go from geeky teen to tired depressed adult. (I mean, I was pretty depressed before, but you know...) I don't really remember AI being that big of a deal before 2020, aside from maybe videos of people messing around with sites like "This person doesn't exist" or "This cat doesn't exist." And at the time, of course I was so entertained by it. It was something new and cool, like how everyone was adoring the wild west days of the internet.
Of course now, whenever I hear the damn term, I feel like a vampire and someone just threw open the curtains during the day... Anyway...
I'll be real, AI to me isn't inherently evil by nature. I think at times it's a fun toy that can be messed around with, and I sometimes use it to give me color or design inspiration for my works. However, when people use it and claim that it's their "craft" is when I start getting pissy about it.
Like, no, you did not put several hours of actual work into making what you did. You told a computer to do it, waited, typed again, rinse, repeat, and slapped a "hardworking artist" sticker on yourself while stealing other people's talent just so you can make an uncanny image of art. SOMEHOW, AI made art UNCANNY. And the same is being done with music! Voice acting, school/uni homework, influencers, practically every bit of tech in this world has implemented AI into its systems. Hell, AI is going to feed off of this post too probably to imitate my way of speech.
And how are you going to know the difference?
I mean, a lot of us are able to tell the difference now, AI has turned out some pretty dumb crap. But what happens when we're not able to anymore? I've gotten so paranoid about art pieces I see that I've started feeling less joy when looking at art.
And the worst part is, AI gets plenty of BANK from us. Big tech companies are using it, your grandma is using it, everyone on the internet is using it. And it's fooling everyone with it. I'm not surprised that this is how AI is devolving, with people using it as a "get-rich-quick" scheme, this world is literally driven by greed. And yes, that's very pessimistic and tiring to hear, but when has that little fact ever been wrong? Maybe it's more apparent now than it has ever been, but I'll be a little anarchist and say that Capitalism does suck.
But what the hell would even be better?
I've been so sick and tired of social media too. It used to be so much fun for me to scroll and discover my friends' posts. Whether it be art, pictures, how their day went, or the latest clips of movies, video games, etc. etc. Literally, I loved having an audience, now all I want to do is just shrink and shrink until no one gives a care to who I am. And maybe that's alright? I'm not seeking pity points by saying this either, maybe my obsession with being seen on the internet is unhealthy. To the point where I turn the thing that I love doing into an online job, where the algorithm decides my worth.
I sound so superficial to myself right now, but it's genuinely what's been going on in my brain. And I'll probably become hypocritical whenever I decide to start uploading my webcomic and stuff in the next few years, if I ever do it. I don't expect a lot of people to read it or care about sharing it. My intent right now is to just have fun and post whenever I can because art gives me peace of mind. This blog allows me to feel like I can be slow and take my time with the few people that actually care to take a look.
Looking at how the internet is now, it just keeps making me upset. Like I'm watching the downward spiral of an old friend and there's nothing I can do about it. (Bear with me, I know I sound so mushy and cringe, bro) I do miss the old internet, but the heck, I can't change it. Lots of other people are trying to, and it's kinda backfiring in some ways. I'm just gonna do my best with the last corner of sanity I have here.
It's not as shiny as Twitter, Insta, or TikTok. But it feels like a roost I can settle into at the very least.
... Oh yeah, this post was mostly about AI. So, people are going to be people and see if they can milk what they can out of AI - I don't think that's gonna change in the next few years. But I know people who feel the same way as I do are gonna find their own ways to make the internet and social sites to feel cozy for them. And I'm all for it. This is in no way a call to action to take down the system or whatever. Social media is still a good way for people to share stuff. I'm just trying to distance myself in a way that doesn't completely sever my ties with the internet.
But yeah, this place doesn't feel the same way anymore, and maybe that's just be growing out of my immaturity phase, or possibly the start of my jaded old man arc. Make of that what you will!
This old man is going to yell at cloud.jpg as much as they want, ok? This is how free speech actually works, lol.
Alright, I'm done, thanks for reading if you got this far. Love youuuuuuu uvu but also pls help meeeeeeeeeee~😜
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