We didn't solve it though, as the vast majority of email traffic and processing is spam and the filtering thereof.

I barely use email any more, not just due to blatant spam, but also due to companies that I need to receive one notification email each time I do a transaction, or to verify an account, as an excuse to send me daily or weekly emails.

I can't necessarily block them because I might need them for a password reset or a future transaction. I spent a while trying to set up filters that work, but eventually got tired of trying to fight it.

Now I mostly just avoid email for anything other than these things, and have just given up on it otherwise.

Spam won. Email lost.

And social media services are losing in similar ways. Rather than showing me things from people I subscribe to, they're pushing all kinds of automated "content for you" that I don't want and can't opt out of. So I'm pulling away from them as well.

The internet is filling with slop and distraction, both AI generated and not, and we haven't "solved" it, it's constantly getting worse.