Slop AI has turned social media into an antisocial wasteland

Social media realism has never been praised, but online scams have reached a fever pitch.

Since the creation of platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, aspirational content has flooded our feeds Absolutely perfect bodiesHomes and lifestyles. Despite social media’s supposed goal to keep us connected, we communicate online He feels increasingly isolated And separated from reality. Back up ramp And deepfakes make it infinitely worse.

appearance Generative AI tools He loves OpenAI Sora, Google I see and Mid-flight It has made it easier to create videos that are unusual, imaginative and deceptive at the same time. Suddenly, a simple text prompt can conjure anything you can think of. It is a technological marvel, and often a moral nightmare.

The decline of AI refers to the endless barrage of low-quality digital content created using AI. You’ve probably seen examples of this on your social media feeds, from videos of animals displaying strange human characteristics to pranks and gags that seem to defy the laws of physics. In addition, Deep falsification of public figures, Saying and doing things that never happened, both alive and dead, has become hot – and Controversial – commodity.

It’s not just poor AI that diminishes the online experience. Searching for more convincing fabrications of people, places, and events requires greater vigilance than ever before, and it’s downright exhausting.

From human connection to platform addiction

Since it was introduced Sora app from OpenAI Back in September, I wondered why anyone would want to browse a feed consisting solely of made-up moments. Even more “traditional” social platforms like Instagram and TikTok have become inundated with AI content that seems to serve no real purpose, beyond showing off the stunningly lifelike images that AI tools can now conjure up in an instant.

Isn’t the whole point of social media to stay in touch with people you know and follow public figures you care about? Is this founding goal officially dead?

“The cynical answer is that social media is now about keeping you connected to the tool, not to each other,” said Alexios Mantzarlis, director of the Security, Trust and Safety Initiative at Cornell Tech.

He said that technology giants “raise their stock prices” by showcasing their capabilities in the field of artificial intelligence, but “this comes at the expense of expertise on these platforms.”

In fact, this increasing artificiality is at odds with the authenticity that many of us seek and increasingly struggle to find online. One of the reasons I’ve loved TikTok for years is because it is It’s easier to find more real, unfiltered content — a welcome relief from the overly polished influencer posts flooding my Instagram feed, though increasingly I’m seeing my fair share of that on TikTok too.

Even before the advent of generative AI, Instagram updates from friends and family were largely replaced by content from prominent creators I don’t follow. This isn’t always a bad thing, as it often exposes me to topics I’d like to see more of. This focus on user interests is what makes TikTok’s algorithm in particular so powerful (and addictive). But it makes me feel more disconnected from the people I already know – especially since normal people are like that Seems to be published less At present.

Factor AI into this equation, and any semblance of originality disappears. Now, besides fighting insecurities from seeing edited photos of real people, you may also be stuck Vacation photos generated entirely by artificial intelligenceor came across Impact of artificial intelligence Which inflates unattainable standards of beauty.

“Before, we had this problem of unrealistic body expectations,” Mantzarlis said. “And now we face a world Unrealistic Body expectations.”

It is becoming more difficult for people to distinguish fact from fiction, but the spread of fakes and deepfake items is not slowing down. The clock is ticking for platforms to curate this new wave of content before it overwhelms our sense of reality.

AI harm reduction

Social media companies like Meta and TikTok have pledged to label AI-generated content and block harmful posts such as fake crisis events or using images of individuals without their permission.

But in the absence of government regulation – which is delayed due to factors such as Political deadlock more how to regulate artificial intelligence, Pressure from technology companies (dead Recently launched a super PAC To undo AI laws) and the rapid rate at which technology is developing – it is up to companies to support their own policies. It can be difficult for sites to report everything given the sheer volume of content, but so far, their routine efforts don’t look very promising.

This lack of regulation can amplify mistrust and discord online. August Study by Raptifa media company that works with digital creators, found that when people only suspected that content was created by AI, they instinctively distanced themselves from it. Specifically, 48% of participants found the content less trustworthy, while 60% said they felt less emotionally connected to it.

But with influencer-generated content dominating most social media platforms these days, AI could be marketed as a way to simplify a traditionally time-consuming process.

“AI tools make it easier for more people to become creative,” said Paul Bannister, chief strategy officer at Raptive. “It increases the footprint of who can become a creator much faster.”

A chat with Bannister helped make up for A a little Of my doubts. He reminded me that “like any new technology, there are always good and bad uses.” He noted that along with AI slowing down, there is still human creativity behind the (often ridiculous) AI content we see online.

“There will be a lot of unwanted problems and pitfalls, but perhaps it could create amazing new forms of sharing information and entertainment,” Bannister said. “There is still so much waste flowing through the system that we don’t know what the outcome will be.”

There’s another aspect of what AI can do: “It will be used to further exacerbate tensions, to confirm people’s pre-existing biases,” Manzarlis said.

Social media has already become an echo chamber for reaffirming people’s harmful and closed-minded views, and fast-spreading misinformation. I’m not sure we’re prepared for how much worse it could get when everyone has the ability to easily manufacture their own reality and share it with the world. The division of society will only lead to the emergence of wider fissures.

If anything, I’d appreciate it if more platforms took a page out of Pinterest’s book and gave us a choice Reduce the amount of AI we see On our feeds. Even though I was given the choice, I would reduce it to zero.