“Much of the Internet Is Now Dead” — Reddit Cofounder Sounds the Alarm

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🚨 The Internet Isn’t Dying — It’s Being Replaced

Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian says what many have quietly feared: the internet we once knew is gone.
In a recent episode of TBPN, Ohanian admitted that the web — once a living network of human creativity — now feels increasingly “botted” and “quasi-AI.”

“You all prove the point that so much of the internet is now dead,” he told hosts John Coogan and Jordi Hays.

🤖 The Rise of the Machine-Generated Web

Ohanian’s comments echo what’s becoming impossible to ignore. From AI-written blog posts to auto-generated LinkedIn fluff, much of what we scroll through isn’t written by people anymore.

He referenced the growing belief known as Dead Internet Theory — the idea that bots now outnumber humans online. Even OpenAI’s Sam Altman recently admitted seeing “a lot of LLM-run Twitter accounts.”

If the web was once a conversation, it’s now a loop of synthetic voices talking to each other.

💬 The “Proof of Life” Problem

Ohanian believes the internet’s next revolution won’t come from smarter algorithms — but from verified humanity.

“The internet needs to be the opposite of dead,” he said. “It needs live viewers and live content — proof of life.”

That proof, he argues, has quietly migrated to group chats — the private hubs where real people share real thoughts without the noise of AI spam.

Apps like Signal, Discord, and WhatsApp have become safe zones for genuine connection — small pockets of authenticity in an increasingly artificial web.

🔄 The Next Evolution: Human-Verified Social Media

But Ohanian doesn’t think group chats are the final stop.
“There’s got to be some next iteration of that,” he said. “Because that’s where all of us are getting our really best info now.”

This next generation of platforms, he predicts, will be built around verifiable human presence — possibly through cryptographic identity, biometric proof, or live interaction formats.

In short: the future of social media might look less like Twitter and more like a digital living room.

🧩 The Takeaway

The web has reached an uncanny valley — flooded with content that’s optimized, not alive.
As AI continues to fill timelines, creators who show proof of life will stand out.
Human originality is becoming rare — and therefore, valuable again.

Credits: Business Insider, TBPN Podcast.