DEAD INTERNET
Dead internet theory says that the majority of actions and interactions on the net are performed by bots now. I saw a note the other day saying that Instagram and TikTok are testing tools to automatically offer people shopping recommendations based on stuff seen in their feeds or their own photos and videos. That basically kills the influencer market. Agentic shopping doesn’t work properly yet, but when it does, that’ll be another human action layer gone. I tried being more connected for a while, but I seem to have just opened dead and boring pipes.
It’s been a dismal week or two for me on the internet, because I’m finding so little worth reading. I dunno if everyone just gave up, hooked their chatbots to their content services and went home when the latest geopolitical binfire lit off, but fuck me, March feels like the month that Dead Internet Theory bit in.
A recent NATO report defined cognitive warfare as the “manipulation of the enemy’s cognition,” involving “the use of all knowledge, strategies, and available tools to impact human behavior…. with the end goal of manipulating and altering decision-making.” Under this definition, the systems associated with technological innovation offer ripe pickings for cognitive-style warfare. Now that humans have fashioned this highly vulnerable domain, defined by the ever-deepening and increasingly structured union of humans and machines, we can no longer ignore the opportunities and threats we have built into it.
THE JOHNNY PAINTINGS: Robert Longo
1994, Genereux Grunwald Gallery Toronto, Canada
A series of paintings and charcoals studies rendered by artist Robert Longo the director of the film adaptation of William Gibson’s short story “Johnny Mnemonic”.Longo who, though an extremely talented painter, musician and artist unfortunately took most of the rap for Sony’s bad re-cut of the film. His original vision never came to full fruition. William Gibson he shared:
“Longo’s original plan was for a $1 million b&w film. That’s one I’d love to have seen.”
I’m sure it’s the one we all would’ve liked to have seen. In the meantime enjoy Robert Longo’s art. Some of it rides the waves here on Tumblr and some of it you should see for yourself at his website. http://www.robertlongo.com.
I seem to have to go back into the archives to find anything that excites me creatively.
Read HERE.
Read HERE.
Platforms likely conflate positioning with popularity, failing to see the self-fulfilling prophecy of an algorithm making stuff popular because said stuff is built to please the algorithm creating more demand for content to please the algorithm. "Viral" content is no longer a result of lots of people deciding that they find something interesting.
That might sound dramatic, but look around the film industry and it’s increasingly true. Your skills could easily expire.
Technology cycles used to move slowly. A filmmaker could learn a camera system, an editing workflow, or a distribution model and rely on it for a decade.
Not anymore.
In the next two years we’ll see massive shifts driven by AI production tools, vertical storytelling formats, algorithm-driven distribution, and new creator economies. Skills that defined filmmaking careers even five years ago—festival-only distribution strategies, traditional crew hierarchies, slow development cycles—are already starting to erode.
This doesn’t mean filmmakers are doomed. It means filmmakers need to evolve faster.
Here are seven ways indie filmmakers can future-proof their careers.
Until next time, here’s some music.
Cheers,
TC.