Broken Internet

Broken Internet: The Information You Requested Could Not Be Found! Warning Sign

Clarification Of “Broken Internet”

Just to be clear, the Internet isn’t physically broken. For if it were, you probably wouldn’t be reading this blog right now. Then what do I mean when I’ve used such a click-baity title as “Broken Internet” I hear you ask (in my own head, obviously)? Well, before I can answer that question, I need to clarify a few terms.

A Defining Moment

The Internet and the World Wide Web are not the same thing and never have been. So, these terms should never be used to describe each other. But (as it often appears to be the case, these days), a misunderstanding of the concepts of both (without being corrected) have led to the terms falling into common usage to mean either.

So, what is the difference between the Internet and the World Wide Web? In simple terms, one is the foundation upon which the other sits.

The Internet

It’s probably easiest to think of the Internet as the roads and pathways upon which information travels. Every copper wire, fibreoptic cable and wireless connection forms the structure of the Internet.

The World Wide Web

The World Wide Web is the way that files, photos, videos (or any other piece of information, for that matter) are transferred between different points on the Internet. Without getting too technical and delving into the nitty-gritty (#Geek), if you’ve ever heard anyone mention FTP, HTTP, URL or a plethora of other computing acronyms, then this, this is the World Wide Web.

Browser

I’m not going to explain what a Browser is, as you’re already using one to view this blog. What I will say is the very first browser was called “World Wide Web” and was developed by a British computer scientist Sir Tim Bernes-Lee, who was the originator of the entire concept of the World Wide Web, whilst he was based at CERN.

So, What Do I Mean By “Broken Internet”?

Now that we have a common frame of reference, we can continue. Like everything that is intended to be used for the common good, it quickly becomes corrupted and twisted away from that original idea. What was originally created to be a means of sharing information, is now just a way to push advertisements for products under your nose.

Continuing Search

You can’t perform a search on Google for any form of information, without (99.999% of the time) Google throwing a row of images and links to products for sale at the top of the search results. Products that are somewhat related (in varying degrees) to your search. Or (if you do manage to get to just the information you’re looking for), you get some AI generated drivel that may or may not be directly related to your original search.

Anti-social Media

Within minutes of your search, you get a notification from Amazon stating; “We thought you’d like a new <insert product vaguely related to your Google search>. Then, when you’re next on Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media platform, you’re inundated with similar ads there.

YouTube is just as bad. Now that I’ve hit a certain age, I get inundated with ads for old man chair workouts, tablets for balancing testosterone and (more recently) bloody Viagra®..!

All of this targeted advertising is just getting a little too much, to my mind. You can’t even talk about any subject even near your mobile (cell) phone, without being bludgeoned into a stupor by ads for that very subject, the very next time you pick your phone up.

The Advent of AI & The Technological Singularity

Now that Artificial Intelligence [AI] has got more than a toe hold on virtually (no pun intended) every aspect of our daily lives, we’re edging ever closer to the technological singularity. This is in no small part due to the fact that we’re still researching AI and striving to blindly integrate it everywhere. Have these people performing all the research not watched the Terminator, Matrix or I, Robot movies, or even the short-lived TV show Next?

I Can’t Do That Dave

According to an article on the IBM website;

The technological singularity is a theoretical scenario where technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, culminating in profound and unpredictable changes to human civilization. [This scenario] will be driven by the emergence of AI that surpasses human cognitive capabilities and can autonomously enhance itself. – Tim Mucci, IBM writer.

Garbage In, Garbage Out

The problem, right now, is that the current AI models just trawl through online sources that already exist and summarise it. But, as we all know, not everything that’s posted online is truthful and/or even factual. With the seemingly constant onslaught of AI-generated images, movies and now entire songs, deep-fakes, fake news and mis-information, it’s getting more and more difficult to discern what’s real and what isn’t and what is fact.

Don’t Panic!

But, (in the immortal words of the late, great author Douglas Adams) don’t panic. We’re not about to be overthrown by an army of murderous, AI-manufactured robots quite yet. However, we may be heading that way, Asimov’s three laws be damned.

If there’s one take away from all of this, however, it is this; Do Your Research. Don’t just run with the first piece of information that’s pushed in front of your face whilst endlessly scrolling through social media. Take the time to consider if the information is from a reputable source and whether that information is corroborated from multiple other sources.

Corum Has Your Back

Before I sign off for another month, I just want to point out that I always endeavour to thoroughly research the subjects for all my blogs. Any text and images that I post on all of my electronic outputs are 0% AI generated.

I put in the time and effort to put my thoughts and experiences into words, to take and edit all of the photographs and graphic design work, and into the items I physically create.

When everyone around me is jumping onto the AI bandwagon, how will any of them hope to stand out against all of that AI-generated noise? I know all of this may sound a little hypocritical (coming from someone who sells his wares online) and I may not get the SEO and advertising edge that others have, but I’ll always keep doing what I do. #ZeroAI #KeepingItReal

C…