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Whenever I come across a post that is clearly AI generated, there is always a comment referring to the post as "AI Slop." These comments highlight the post's overreliance on AI (laziness) and the overall lack of human input. We use the internet to interact with one another, but posts like this distance us more and more. This idea is also encapsulated by the Dead Internet Theory, which suggests that most of the internet is comprised of bots interacting with each other. As we program bots to do certain things online and forget about them, they begin to interact with each other and eventually there are more bots than humans.

The idea of "slop" underscores an important facet of modern interactions and that is the extent that algorithms play in our connections with one another. Algorithms dictate what we see and try to influence us at every corner of the internet. The usual goal is to create a link between the user and the platform strong enough to condition the user to return. Think behavioral psychology or Pavlov's dog. A lot of TV shows and other media have started using a similar strategy. Large streaming services prioritize quantity over quality, seeing what sticks instead of trying to create something actually worthwhile. No offense to any director hired by these companies, but you're probably better off on your own if your goal is to create actual art.

It definitely appears sort of Matrix-esque, the way we are so plugged in to these platforms without spending time to consider their actual value. The sheer amount of content available is staggering. It feels like every week there is a new show or movie worth watching and after watching it, I remain the same.