AI slop, privacy fears, and endless scrolling are making people fall out of love with the internet

A hot potato: Remember the days when the internet was a fun place full of memes and funny videos, and you couldn't use AI to fulfill the request, "photos or it didn't happen"? Today, many people's view of the net is becoming negative, with 50% of users expecting their data to be exposed, AI making everything hard to believe, and the web stealing too much of their time.

A survey by personal-data removal service Incogni illustrates the changing attitudes toward the internet. Given the company's business, it's little surprise to see a focus on data breaches.

More than 50% of participants believe that it's inevitable their personal data will be breached, with only 11% disagreeing with the statement. Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) were most confident they'd be safe, but a still-high 47% believe their data is bound to be hijacked. Gen X (born 1965 to 1980) were most pessimistic (56%).

These concerns were reflected in other questions. Half of the participants regret sharing their information online, while the possibility of having their data stolen made 63% anxious.

It's not just the fear of having details pilfered that's turning people off the internet. More netizens are starting to believe they spend too much time online (44%), while 45% think they spend just the right amount of time.

A slightly more modern online phenomenon is the proliferation of AI content. It's thanks to the countless AI-generated photos, videos, and news reports that almost half the participants are less sure what's real. 27% are tired of wading through AI slop, one in four is bothered by the lack of accountability for deepfake creators, and the whole AI situation makes 27% of people want to spend less time online.

Incogni compares the current problem of AI slop to spam email in the 1990s, though most would argue it's a lot worse, especially when used to incite division.

Social media is another element of the web that's been getting more awful. The survey reveals that 47% of people have deleted their account or a messaging app because it caused stress or anxiety, while 41% did the same thing over privacy concerns.

Incogni also asked the question: would you pay for an internet with no tracking or algorithmic feeds? Only 29% said yes, the majority of whom were in a high-income group, and 46% said no.

From privacy violations and AI slop to Dead Internet Theory becoming closer to reality, the modern internet has a lot of problems. But more people use it today than at any previous point, so those causing these issues are unlikely to care, sadly.