Hypothesis: the amount of new "live" internet is the same as it has been for decades, but the amount of fake internet generated has grown exponentially, making the percentage of fake internet ever-higher. Live internet is (by definition) much more labor-intensive than fake internet, so the ever-accelerating pace of computing makes this virtually guaranteed, even without advances in software for generating fake internet (which we certainly have also had).
Not sure if I believe this hypothesis yet, just putting it out there.
I once read about an approximation of novel experiences in life. It went something like: in your first year of life, you experience 100% new things, second year 50%, nth year 1/n % new experiences. By this calculation, assuming a life expectancy of about 80, the middle of your life, by experiences, would be around 20.
Sure, the internet is in many ways less diverse than it used to be. But aforementioned effect might also be in play: as we get older, it becomes increasingly harder to have novel experiences. Take note also of the "seen it all"-attitude in the beginning of the post.
It's a nice thought-experiment regardless. It might theoretically be possible for an AI to "live" on the internet and perhaps manipulate us or something. Fun thing is, the west would believe it's the east, and the east would assume it's the west doing it. So in that hostility and non-openess of the "world powers" may be found some shade for another entity to hide.
This post takes an initially plausible premise (e.g. "much of the internet is manipulated by big corporations") and uses it to springboard into batshit conspiracy theory territory (e.g. "many well-known celebrities actually don't exist and are computer-generated").
Combine that with the repeated insistence on people not existing on the Internet and it really gives me the feeling that the writer is trying to apply a Capgras delusion[1] to the entire Internet.
It reads like oldschool creepy-pasta from 4chan. The point isn't that it's true (it's not) the point is that it takes something that you've felt (online comments that can't possibly be made by a sane human being) and builds a whole cosmology around it to explain why it happens in the most convoluted and disturbing way possible.
The internet is alive and well if you know where to look. IRC, subreddits, some twitter circles, github, hacker news, etc. Once you delve more into what you are into, you will find people and the places to interact. IRC in particular for me has been a great blast to the past
#maths or #math at irc.libera.chat is pretty active.
For CS / Physics, perhaps try asking there too, I usually hang out in #emacs and #vim. #emacs is super active, so if you ask there, you will get good pointers
Even though the effect on human education and commerce is undeniably good... it's hard not to read posts like this without a deep, disturbing sensation that something about the internet is profoundly incompatible with the way human brains have evolved.
I think this is exactly the point of posts like this. We have created an exploitable environment, that can be abused for several reasons (politics and economics, being the two most obvious). And the fact that it is abusable, makes it less of a thing "for humans" or, at least, something we have evolved to consume/participate every day, let alone every hour of our lives.
The Internet feels empty and devoid of people. It is also devoid of content. Compared to the Internet of say 2007 (and beyond) the Internet of today is entirely sterile.
I post to daily play by play post Pathfinder game on paizo.com. I'm pretty sure my players are real. If not, AI is already way what's bee advertised.
I interact regularly with people FB, before Covid, I hosted stuff on meetup.com and I'll be back doing that soon. All of my various, current circles of friends were met using some Internet elements (whether FB or seeing a local ad, etc).
In 2007, the Internet was an edgy hobby for me, now it's just the medium. It seems like the poster is upset that "ordinary" people do ordinary things on the Internet.
Not sure if I believe this hypothesis yet, just putting it out there.