It's the truth sadly. The internet isn't already useless, but I also think that the internet hasn't delivered on it's promises. Nobody really got more social from being chronically online. The outside world is beautiful and I think we should respect that more. The difficult part is being the first to stop using the internet 24/7.
Eh, i became a lot more social through the internet and it helped me improve my social life in the real world as well. Of course I tend to avoid social media though.
It's pure coincidental that this video came out when I needed it. You're right, there's too much AI is on every platform, and myself along with others have greatly been worrying about being out-performed by those money-grabbing-slops if we tried. I'm considering boarding the whole content-creation train soon, and I'm glad I'm not the only one with these views. Wish us luck
Just remember this: In a world of TV dinners and fast food places, why do grocery stores still sell fresh produce? Because people love to cook. Cheap, manufactured art will hurt a market, but people will never stop wanting to create (or enjoy things that a human being created!)
The AI fear mongering doesn't make sense to me because I barely ever see it, I don't use Twitter or any social media apart from UA-cam and Steam and I mostly focus on my own projects and play videogames with friends. AI is not going to outperform or replace you and if it does, who cares? AI can never take away the fun and the joy of passion.
@UsernameDoesntCare "AI wont replace you" ah. but it has! entire teams in massive corporations have been replaced by AI, obviously to disastrous results. see newest Disney/Marvel movies...
@UsernameDoesntCareWhile it is true that AI can't really recreate human creativity, the problem is that companies don't care that AI slop is blatantly worse than actual art since it costs them less and people will still buy it. It's the same reason why basically everything is produced in horrific sweatshops now
You're right, the Internet has been getting worse. I feel we're entering a new "dark age" of stagnation where there's nothing really new anymore and people think they have everything figured out; no sense of wonder or real thirst for knowledge that made the internet so popular at the beginning. For people that still want good stuff, its harder and harder to sift through the slop to find the gems. I've got a question for you: I want a better internet, and I want to do my part, but I cannot produce content for one reason or another. What do you think an internet consumer can do to make his netscape a better place?
I'd say to start, move away from Google as a means to discover content. The engine is a mess of competing incentives with SEO, ads, marketplace, Gemini and trends. Most of what makes the top of those lists are designed to be there before offering any value. 95% of sites on google get 0 clicks because they refuse to play by algorithm. On that note, try to steer away from algorithmic delivery systems. Social media (even UA-cam) is designed to keep you addicted to what you already like. And when we can't get that instant hit like we once did, people tend to mindlessly scroll to find it again. Most importantly, don't post "content". Set up a neocities or microblog and put what makes you happy into the world. An interesting photo. Your attempts at art. Stories from your life. The Internet is dead because it's driven by ad money and clout. Even before AI, it was obvious that so much of it was fake. All we can do put a little realness out there for people to find.
Too quick to blame corporations and not the market that's clearly there to support it. Of course companies, no matter if they're big or small, do what they can to make the most money, that's not greed, that's common sense.
@UsernameDoesntCare While it is true that the market must exist for a product to succeed, the fact is that corporations have groomed us into accepting objectively bad changes to platforms we use every day. Take UA-cam for example, 10 years ago the level of customization and functionality of this site were leagues above what we have today, and due to their monopolization of the online video hosting market they can make their product worse and we cannot do anything but complain. The fact is that the decisions of the few can influence the experience of the many and we have no recourse but to either make our own untainted platforms or suck it up.
I was always hesitant to post my music if it's not entirely finished, but if I never share it then what's the point. I'll try being a bit looser with it from now on.
sometimes, releasing stuff early, even if it's not complete, can be a huge boon, cause then you could find a bunch of people who will critique it and let you know what might need fixing/adjusting. And when that happens, you can then turn around and give it to people, either free, or through a service and you'd be making a decent amount of money off of it. No guarantees it'll be a lot or anything, but decent for the project. Realistically, it's just a pros vs cons thing and what you want out of it. That said, I wish you all the best, regardless of the route you take!
I was already making things because I simply enjoyed making them, along with making them because I wanted to share with others. The presence of AI slop won't stop me from doing so, and if anything, has only emboldened me. This year, I plan to start uploading to UA-cam to share knowledge and content within my weird niche... And I'm happy to so not just for my own fun, but out of spite towards AI as well. >:3 Hope you're doing well, Garbaj!
No. We need to keep our analogue tech in the niche it is, or "big tech" will ruin that too. There's a reason us hobbyists gatekeep our hobbies from the masses, modern gaming is a good example of what happens when the general masses see potential profits to be made in something.
Totally agreed. Additionally, personal sites and blogs can have RSS, which is sorta forgotten but works great! You can get an RSS reader and see updates from people without manually checking their sites (unless you want to do that)
There still an old prospering internet out there, but people need to make and effort to avoid the closed ecosystems and commercial slopware of the giants (Meta, Google, Microsoft, etc.).
Garbaj spending 4 minutes explaining to me exactly why I'm watching her content, and motivating me to upload more videos as well. Thank you, I actually should.
The internet is far from useless its a tool. A tool that facilitates growth through exposure to diverse perspectives. Even so-called ‘echo chambers’ aren’t static, because people change over time. Whether through shifting interests, new experiences, or broader societal changes, the flow of ideas online forces people to adapt. While the internet might sometimes enable stagnation, it’s arguably the most productive kind of stagnation, as it still provides opportunities for learning and engagement. Ultimately, the internet is what we make of it, and its potential for good outweighs its pitfalls.
the internet peaked at forums and obscure personal websites with the most varied web design you've ever seen (i'm partially joking but .. only partially)
what gets me about ads is it seems like it's never enough. a website always needs more and more and more ads to make it's business viable. and it feels like so much of the economy would fall apart without advertising propping it up.
Just a reminder that your views are obviously very America centered. As somebody who lives in Germany, I cannot relate to many of the things stated in this video. It is, however, only a matter of time until this spreads further and deeper here too.
@@JackFlower Germany is the pessimism capital of the world. Bureaucracy is a big part of it, but they have been through the historical wringer forever, not just the world wars. America is intense and outspoken, the UK is enduring and patient, but Germany is very, very stubborn and dissatisfied. They are perfectionists, but without the drive, pride, or means to be an empire (anymore) like America or Britain. The highest percentage of atheism in Europe exists in east Germany, and weighs the average down for the whole nation. Atheism is pessimistic by nature. Revolutionary scientists and open-minded caretakers are an exception, and most of THOSE are spiritual in some form anyway (historically). My suggestion to OP is to GET OUT OF GERMANY. Your environment weighs on your soul. "Change of scenery" is a wisdom more complex than people give it credit for.
What is blud waffling about? I live in Italy, and I can 100% agree with his view because you can see it in everyone else's everyday lives, we don't have a different internet. Everything America does, everyone else copies, because people who put profits before humanity live in every corner of the world.
Unfortunately it's true. Thanks for making a video about it. Now I am even more motivated to start uploading more stuff and doing more projects. I've always wanted to make a music with an animated video. Something along the lines of what the Chalkeaters do. Maybe I'll try to gather some people to create something like this
I noticed this since last year , too many websites are ditching good features like forums and instead are looking to make consume as much as possible , sadly this has been the case since the pandemic hit and got worse in 2024 when ai bots disguised as real people started becoming more spread especially in twitter.
This is just kind of the way most things in capitalism go, they start of great and then slowly corporations realise what they can do, it's a cycle, though I'm sure the internet will end up in a middleground, something else new will pop up
I saw something the other day that grouped the entire internet other than facebook, instragram, tiktok, youtube etc.. as the non-(something) internet. I can't remember what the something was but I was just shocked that the vast majority of the internet is now described like some niche category of "other"
This is why is have gone to user made things like adfree UA-cam on phone and adblocker for the rest. I have also resulter to piracy because it is so easy to just stream a free movie from some sites. Only thing I don't cheap out on is games, because steam is one of the not enshittified programs for games and I love steam and I love supporting the makers of games!
Steam is becoming enshittified ever since they switched to chromium on their application. We used to be able to use custom UI and everything but they just removed it and killed an entire modding scene for no reason.
I really appreciate your video Garbaj. I've tried finding alternatives to all my favorite apps and social media because I simply cannot take the slop anymore. I miss when we have productive things happening
There's been a slow growth over the last few years in the number of videos on Neocities and people making a sort of 'indie web' out of that, maybe you'd like something like that?
@@garbaj True, only caveat is that webhosting is expensive nowadays due to almost every URL being grabbed by some domain site that you gotta lease from. At least Neocities and Nekoweb are free to use up to a point. It's a great way to get people on board with HTML and CSS web design.
So many ideas, creative wishes and endeavours that see minimal progress at most because of work & stagnating mental fuel. I hope I can get to work on more of that kinda stuff outside of working hours! Least I want is to leave a digital footprint of my work that others can enjoy. Thanks for the inspiration mate!
Not sure if it's relevant, but I have a feeling that the Internet was better back in the day, because it was less accessible, full of passionates. And now? Oh well.
I think the problem with the internet right now is that everything changes so fast but not its core. Its core remains the same, keep growing into this desert for companies to make money off of. Just desolate place. But on the surface, it's completely different; everything changes so fast. Before the internet, world and local cultures had its current "theme". They are identity for some, they are home for some. But now with the internet, that Theme became "trend". You can't stay there for so long because the trend changed and now you need to move on. Like, the internet doesn't care about you. It stimulates you every single moment you are there, but it's not for you. I really hope the internet becomes the place it once was. Thank you Garbaj for spreading this word.
I've somehow gotten lucky in that I still get plenty of refreshing content recommended to me. Idk why it is, but it has kept me on YT for like, forever. I do wish alternatives did exist though, and hopefully Gray Jay will help with it! Btw on AI: The best content I've seen of it are those where it hallucinates or otherwise acts abnormally. Best example I can think of rn is the Luma AI + images from FNAF. So unless AI somehow got better and we lost access to these less polished ones, then AI content will be ruined for me :P
the freemium model where you make your product good to draw everyone in, then when everyone is stuck you have to make your money when people cant escape because they're stuck
I randomly got your video recommended like 2 years ago and everytime theres a video I watch it. A Short, simple video but with a thoughtfull inside. Perfection!
I have started seeing a pattern where when i open comment sections of social media posts, influencers have started leaving "AI bots" to reply comments instead of them doing it, or X comment section being full of AI generated images. Its just so fake to a point where its taking away the "social" part of social media
This is so raw, I love it! Personally, we need to stop overusing background music in videos too. Its different when someone is talking without random music in the back
I think there are a lot of people are hesitant to share their own creations because they are not only intimidated by the tidal wave of AI slop flooding through every space of media, but also because they're caught up on the wrong part of your quote, "Just MAKE something" when really it should be "Just make SOMETHING." There's not enough xbox 360 frag compilations recorded on your 3DS camera, or random 3D models of obscure shit revealed to someone in a dream. If anyone is reading this, make your art, and as long as it's original, the quality doesn't matter at this rate.
I think you forgot the fact that people will trash talk and shit on their works. That's one of the big reason a lot of people give up, the constant trolling, flaming and shittalking that inevieyably happens. Throw on top of that the want to improve escalating ones own standards of what's good enough and well... the passion fizzles out as it's overtaken by exhaustion, anxiety and imposter syndrome
The internet is as good as whatever you do on it, keep looking around, there's fun to be found! I used to think this every 2-3 years, but then I would find a new community and have just as much fun as before. Just look around!
My friends and I have been planning to start a production group, short films, comedy skits, a wed series, maybe even the occasional feature length film. My plan is to put our work on YT so we can make SOME money from ads, but also have everything on our own website where you can view our projects without ads. I don't like having money donated, so I think this is a harmless way for people to support what they like by sitting through an ad or two, but if you just want to watch the videos, go to the website.
it's not even capitalism that's the problem here. Capitalism actually boosted the internet quite a bit. How many places can you go online now to buy/sell stuff? The issue is monopolistic control. None of the companies can reasonably gain a monopoly over a free service, but, by god, they are fucking trying. So, really, it just comes down to working out how to prevent monopolies/oligopolies from occurring. Though, that's significantly easier said than done. I think at this point, we may need to start requiring online stuff to be open source. Since, at least then, it'll be considerably harder for them to retain control over proprietary software.
@@RyuuTennoMonopoly or not as long as the incentives of the consumers and producers are in opposition then enshittification will happen Capitalism is the problem because we want quality and companies want money When money isn't the driving force then we can all aim for quality together
@@Hack--rz1io Capitalism is the underlying financial incentive for people to fix problems in the world, either through technology or services. It itself, is not the problem. The problem is the fact that we've let these businesses run rampant, rather than attempt to hold them accountable. Capitalism still requires *some*, not much, regulation, to keep predators in check, and protect the customer. Not everyone is going to do stuff for free if you were to eliminate the financial incentives to get things going. Plenty do, and that's great, and that's how we've got things like FOSS, and various charities. But, for the majority of the people, it still requires money, because unfortunately, "good will" is not enough to pay the bills. They can't pay rent, or buy food, or pay for their car, or school, or utilities, or whatever, on abstract concepts, but they most certainly can with a tangible trade medium. What needs to be done, is to get the government to look into these businesses and see if they can't establish limitations for them, to prevent them from preying on the customers. Oh, and another side to this, is that we need to hold the government itself accountable, due to the fact that monopolies and oligopolies are always the result of the government allowing them in the first place. Meaning, you can't ever really have monopolies and oligopolies without the government enforcing/encouraging that to begin with. If you really do think capitalism is still the problem even after this, might I suggest you take your ass straight to North Korea and see how well, a non-capitalist society works out for you? And I'll take it that, if you *don't* leave to live there, then that means you do value capitalism, and therefore you should actually start to consider ways to fix it, without fucking it up for everyone else.
@johanbjorkman1914 ever county is capitalist but the European nations are better at implementing regulations to stop monopolies and greedy corrosive behavior. Doesn't fix the problem but slows it down a great deal.
Commenting just to perhaps boost this a bit in the algorithm. I'm disheartened at the lack of guardrails that exist for the regular person wrt AI, and "I don't want to live in that kind of world", either. Keep being a real one.
I've really wanted to start a channel to talk about video games as art, but I feel kinda not prepared to try it yet This video makes me want to try and start anyway, thanks for the motivation!
I know this wasn't the point of the video at all, but I absolutely loved the little computer you've made. Reminds me of how all the old source 1 assets were made, and it's a really calming and nostalgic result.
one thing i think is really important remember is that the internet is STILL a huge treasure trove of information and art, but its just completely buried under slop and the greed of hundreds of mega corporations and soulless people
It's why I make my awful gaming edits. It's because I have an idea, some of my friends will find it funny, and it feels goo to improve my skills with a technical program. I will continue to do so, regardless of if my stuff gets picked up the algorithm. I could have made another DRG video to capitalize off of the virality of the first, but I didn't because I didn't have any ideas. I made the original just because a moment happened in game, I didn't feel the need to go force another moment. Maybe some day I'll have another moment in game that leads to some kind of sequel video, but i'll only make that video because it will be fun to work on. In the mean time I've been having fun learning blender on my new computer, I used an animation sequence as the main idea it frames around for a video I made two days ago. Hopefully I can work up to doing an animation that several minutes long someday.
As an artist (for fun) i have alot of options that aren't being worn down by ai, and greed. There are ALOT of art communities. I'll list the ones i use. Sketchers united (made because the sketch app servers went offline), Animemaker(needs updates pretty badly, but has been my favorite community since i was a kid, has absolutely ZERO ai art), Whiteboard fox(basically a bunch of temporary servers where everyone csn draw together and hang out lots of fun, but limited by paywalls), Discord has alot of art communities, Reddit also has alot of communities that you can post art and fanart too. (Reddit as a whole is degrading, but some subreddits are still great and sime not so much). Theres also a pixel art community that i havent interacted with on an app called Pixel Studio.
Amen brother. I'm a Helldivers 2 youtuber and voice my strong opinions to fight all the disinformation and the robots. No AI voice overs, No AI thumbnails. Real people playing games having fun.
I watch your videos because of exactly what you describe. Im not in video game design, but I love your genuine content. I will always click on your videos when i see a new release.
i know the absolute basics of blender, i've used it to fix up some stl files for 3d printing. I loved watching someone just use these simple functions to just create something. AI could never
This is one reason I upload what I upload to my UA-cam channel. It’s a live journal so I can go back and see what I’ve done. It’s also a time capsule so that if anyone wants to go back in the past and see some stuff, they can. As for a website. I don’t have that kind of money right now 😂
"It doesn't matter if it ain't perfect, as long as it's real" I.. I think that's it. I finally get it. That's what I'm supposed to do right? Making stuff I like is one part of the equation, but I always want to make it perfect. There is beauty in that, for sure, but there also is in just a genuine "thing". Doesn't really matter what it is. As long as it is genuine, even if it didn't last. First exams tho, gotta grind for one more week. Thanks garbaj
Search engines not working like they used to hits the hardest. Sometimes ill look for a thing i saw ages ago, maybe it's a tutorial, and for whatever reason, I can't find that anymore. Or maybe it's something new I'm looking for. That still sucks. Everything is search engine optimized so that it casts the largest net possible, which leads to search results that have nothing to do with what I'm looking for. I wonder if it's even possible to salvage it. The internet's way too tainted now. Sorry if I'm being too pessimistic
That's a good and inspiring idea. But imo this will just reinforce current feedback-loop of ai reproduction of content. The more we create - the more material machines have to digest and reproduce (quite a nihilist statement i'm making here). Current way of things reminds me of Bennet Foddy's talk about "trash culture" in his Getting Over It. But you gave me hope, mister Garbaj, i'll now gonna finish a few of my projects which i'll wanted to make for a long time for communities which i'm a part of. No matter how bad of a creative person i am
I've been on this quest to make a video talking about video games for the past 3 years, I Haven't been able to write down a single paragraph of what i wanna say all because it doesn't feel like it's me writing and that's when I realized that I forgot what real content even looked like. Probably now I might take another jab at it.
Was gonna leave an ironically hollow comment for the algorithm boost, but I really gotta admire that sense of duty here. Being a cynical pessimist doomer has been trendy for too long, and its made the world an uglier place than it should be, given our blessings. We stand on the shoulders of giants yet choose to jump off and get walked on. Nothing but respect for you, we out here bringing optimism back. "Keep your eyes on the prize, and go get it. Cause those people who don't try, get no credit" -Chali 2na, Change the World
The internet has become a prominent part of society, that the buzz we deemed as useful and innovative - like easy-to-access information and communication - is now more of a hum we consider as the norm. And that was the point all along; to share our creations and knowledge with ease... until companies started fighting for attention, and now it's completely tarnishing the internet dream. We're here to be with each other from afar, to laugh and argue, to compliment and criticize, not to have a personal pocket machine that tries to grab our attention towards soullessly generated media. You can argue that the internet has always been full of shit, but even then it was more of an open field than a closed city block... but who are they to decide what's best for you? Go for a walk!
Maybe I'm being cautious not showing my game protype online long before I have a non tutorial project assets or even half the abilities or weapons implemented for the demo. But as it is only having been seen by my sister and mother I have no feedback on if I want to even continue. I got no work on it done for last 2 months because of this.
I feel like I never see anything. I want to see more. The only things I see what I’ve already seen or what the algorithm thinks I want to see but it’s just been getting worse and worse and what the algorithm thinks I wanna see it just slop. I think the problem with everything is the fact that companies just want money and people just want money. They don’t care about anything besides money and numbers
It's the truth sadly.
The internet isn't already useless, but I also think that the internet hasn't delivered on it's promises. Nobody really got more social from being chronically online. The outside world is beautiful and I think we should respect that more. The difficult part is being the first to stop using the internet 24/7.
Eh, i became a lot more social through the internet and it helped me improve my social life in the real world as well. Of course I tend to avoid social media though.
Ehhhh disagree on that beautiful part
i'll just keep using the internet to learn new things for my hobbies, and yes, i'll apply them when i learn them
@flow185 Depends, sometimes it's beautiful, sometimes it's ugly
The fact you're using "chronically online" unironically is a bad sign itself.
You just motivated me to finish editing a 1 hour video beating mc for the first time, maybe it will see the light of day
I BELIEVE
it will be great man
I am watching you!
I'd watch it. I'll sub right now.
@UliTroyo oh damn, if you are fine with subtitles xddd
Cory Doctorow's enshitification "The internet has become 5 websites full of screenshots of the other 4."
It's pure coincidental that this video came out when I needed it. You're right, there's too much AI is on every platform, and myself along with others have greatly been worrying about being out-performed by those money-grabbing-slops if we tried. I'm considering boarding the whole content-creation train soon, and I'm glad I'm not the only one with these views. Wish us luck
GOOD LUCK
Just remember this: In a world of TV dinners and fast food places, why do grocery stores still sell fresh produce? Because people love to cook. Cheap, manufactured art will hurt a market, but people will never stop wanting to create (or enjoy things that a human being created!)
The AI fear mongering doesn't make sense to me because I barely ever see it, I don't use Twitter or any social media apart from UA-cam and Steam and I mostly focus on my own projects and play videogames with friends. AI is not going to outperform or replace you and if it does, who cares? AI can never take away the fun and the joy of passion.
@UsernameDoesntCare "AI wont replace you" ah. but it has! entire teams in massive corporations have been replaced by AI, obviously to disastrous results. see newest Disney/Marvel movies...
@UsernameDoesntCareWhile it is true that AI can't really recreate human creativity, the problem is that companies don't care that AI slop is blatantly worse than actual art since it costs them less and people will still buy it. It's the same reason why basically everything is produced in horrific sweatshops now
You're right, the Internet has been getting worse. I feel we're entering a new "dark age" of stagnation where there's nothing really new anymore and people think they have everything figured out; no sense of wonder or real thirst for knowledge that made the internet so popular at the beginning. For people that still want good stuff, its harder and harder to sift through the slop to find the gems.
I've got a question for you: I want a better internet, and I want to do my part, but I cannot produce content for one reason or another. What do you think an internet consumer can do to make his netscape a better place?
if you can't create stuff at the moment, the best you can do is demand more realness from the people who do create stuff
I'd say to start, move away from Google as a means to discover content. The engine is a mess of competing incentives with SEO, ads, marketplace, Gemini and trends. Most of what makes the top of those lists are designed to be there before offering any value. 95% of sites on google get 0 clicks because they refuse to play by algorithm.
On that note, try to steer away from algorithmic delivery systems. Social media (even UA-cam) is designed to keep you addicted to what you already like. And when we can't get that instant hit like we once did, people tend to mindlessly scroll to find it again.
Most importantly, don't post "content". Set up a neocities or microblog and put what makes you happy into the world. An interesting photo. Your attempts at art. Stories from your life.
The Internet is dead because it's driven by ad money and clout. Even before AI, it was obvious that so much of it was fake. All we can do put a little realness out there for people to find.
@@lemuelwonah7076 there's a lot of smaller projects that are worth engaging with, I think. Niche things can have a lot of intrigue it seems
I would add that you go out of your way to support people who make stuff you really like ^.^
People haven’t discovered everything. They just THINK they did, because they keep getting fed the same slop over and over.
Corporate greed at its finest
Too quick to blame corporations and not the market that's clearly there to support it.
Of course companies, no matter if they're big or small, do what they can to make the most money, that's not greed, that's common sense.
@UsernameDoesntCare While it is true that the market must exist for a product to succeed, the fact is that corporations have groomed us into accepting objectively bad changes to platforms we use every day. Take UA-cam for example, 10 years ago the level of customization and functionality of this site were leagues above what we have today, and due to their monopolization of the online video hosting market they can make their product worse and we cannot do anything but complain. The fact is that the decisions of the few can influence the experience of the many and we have no recourse but to either make our own untainted platforms or suck it up.
I was always hesitant to post my music if it's not entirely finished, but if I never share it then what's the point. I'll try being a bit looser with it from now on.
sometimes, releasing stuff early, even if it's not complete, can be a huge boon, cause then you could find a bunch of people who will critique it and let you know what might need fixing/adjusting. And when that happens, you can then turn around and give it to people, either free, or through a service and you'd be making a decent amount of money off of it. No guarantees it'll be a lot or anything, but decent for the project.
Realistically, it's just a pros vs cons thing and what you want out of it.
That said, I wish you all the best, regardless of the route you take!
Please do, I'm tired of algo slop all over Tiktok man...
You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.
- Zig Ziglar
Definitely, and don't be afraid to ask your friends for their opinion (if they're creative types)
I was already making things because I simply enjoyed making them, along with making them because I wanted to share with others. The presence of AI slop won't stop me from doing so, and if anything, has only emboldened me. This year, I plan to start uploading to UA-cam to share knowledge and content within my weird niche... And I'm happy to so not just for my own fun, but out of spite towards AI as well. >:3
Hope you're doing well, Garbaj!
this is the way
I agree 💯 .
I'm sick of all this fake content and Ai, I believe that what we build quickly, will be destroyed quickly.
give it up mate i think the move is to go back to analog
No. We need to keep our analogue tech in the niche it is, or "big tech" will ruin that too.
There's a reason us hobbyists gatekeep our hobbies from the masses, modern gaming is a good example of what happens when the general masses see potential profits to be made in something.
Totally agreed. Additionally, personal sites and blogs can have RSS, which is sorta forgotten but works great! You can get an RSS reader and see updates from people without manually checking their sites (unless you want to do that)
it's almost like we had it all figured out years ago but then messed it up for some reason
There still an old prospering internet out there, but people need to make and effort to avoid the closed ecosystems and commercial slopware of the giants (Meta, Google, Microsoft, etc.).
Garbaj spending 4 minutes explaining to me exactly why I'm watching her content, and motivating me to upload more videos as well. Thank you, I actually should.
bro's into something
and on something
@@StationOfbarny *onto
The internet is far from useless its a tool. A tool that facilitates growth through exposure to diverse perspectives. Even so-called ‘echo chambers’ aren’t static, because people change over time. Whether through shifting interests, new experiences, or broader societal changes, the flow of ideas online forces people to adapt. While the internet might sometimes enable stagnation, it’s arguably the most productive kind of stagnation, as it still provides opportunities for learning and engagement. Ultimately, the internet is what we make of it, and its potential for good outweighs its pitfalls.
the internet peaked at forums and obscure personal websites with the most varied web design you've ever seen (i'm partially joking but .. only partially)
no joke, personal websites were pure art
what gets me about ads is it seems like it's never enough. a website always needs more and more and more ads to make it's business viable.
and it feels like so much of the economy would fall apart without advertising propping it up.
Just a reminder that your views are obviously very America centered. As somebody who lives in Germany, I cannot relate to many of the things stated in this video. It is, however, only a matter of time until this spreads further and deeper here too.
I'm in the UK and things are similar to his view. How are things different in Germany?
@@JackFlower Germany is the pessimism capital of the world. Bureaucracy is a big part of it, but they have been through the historical wringer forever, not just the world wars.
America is intense and outspoken, the UK is enduring and patient, but Germany is very, very stubborn and dissatisfied. They are perfectionists, but without the drive, pride, or means to be an empire (anymore) like America or Britain. The highest percentage of atheism in Europe exists in east Germany, and weighs the average down for the whole nation. Atheism is pessimistic by nature. Revolutionary scientists and open-minded caretakers are an exception, and most of THOSE are spiritual in some form anyway (historically).
My suggestion to OP is to GET OUT OF GERMANY. Your environment weighs on your soul. "Change of scenery" is a wisdom more complex than people give it credit for.
@@ArchSchizo Jesse, wtf are you talking about?
Schizo indeed @@ArchSchizo
What is blud waffling about? I live in Italy, and I can 100% agree with his view because you can see it in everyone else's everyday lives, we don't have a different internet. Everything America does, everyone else copies, because people who put profits before humanity live in every corner of the world.
Unfortunately it's true. Thanks for making a video about it. Now I am even more motivated to start uploading more stuff and doing more projects. I've always wanted to make a music with an animated video. Something along the lines of what the Chalkeaters do. Maybe I'll try to gather some people to create something like this
I noticed this since last year , too many websites are ditching good features like forums and instead are looking to make consume as much as possible , sadly this has been the case since the pandemic hit and got worse in 2024 when ai bots disguised as real people started becoming more spread especially in twitter.
Ai should be a tool, not a substitute of the human creativity
That's what industrialization is for y'know
@ what do you mean?
@@MrEliteXXL You make tools & produce better tools with those tools you have.
Oversimplified obviously.
This is just kind of the way most things in capitalism go, they start of great and then slowly corporations realise what they can do, it's a cycle, though I'm sure the internet will end up in a middleground, something else new will pop up
"enshittification" was never meant to become popular
Bro thank you! I really hate this big ai shift... its everywhere 😭
indie web >>> social media
I saw something the other day that grouped the entire internet other than facebook, instragram, tiktok, youtube etc.. as the non-(something) internet. I can't remember what the something was but I was just shocked that the vast majority of the internet is now described like some niche category of "other"
This is why is have gone to user made things like adfree UA-cam on phone and adblocker for the rest. I have also resulter to piracy because it is so easy to just stream a free movie from some sites. Only thing I don't cheap out on is games, because steam is one of the not enshittified programs for games and I love steam and I love supporting the makers of games!
Steam is becoming enshittified ever since they switched to chromium on their application. We used to be able to use custom UI and everything but they just removed it and killed an entire modding scene for no reason.
I really appreciate your video Garbaj. I've tried finding alternatives to all my favorite apps and social media because I simply cannot take the slop anymore. I miss when we have productive things happening
There's been a slow growth over the last few years in the number of videos on Neocities and people making a sort of 'indie web' out of that, maybe you'd like something like that?
I think neocities is interesting, though I still prefer getting my own hosting and domain because that gives me the most amount of control
@@garbaj True, only caveat is that webhosting is expensive nowadays due to almost every URL being grabbed by some domain site that you gotta lease from. At least Neocities and Nekoweb are free to use up to a point. It's a great way to get people on board with HTML and CSS web design.
Advertising ruined the web. There's no reason you have to download 5 gigs just to open one page
all I can say is uBlock Origin
we really need to normalize the old net like joining NeoCities or in Discord (the closest you will get to a forum here)
Discord is enshittified trash full of child groomers and unfunny meme pits. We need a better alternative.
So many ideas, creative wishes and endeavours that see minimal progress at most because of work & stagnating mental fuel. I hope I can get to work on more of that kinda stuff outside of working hours!
Least I want is to leave a digital footprint of my work that others can enjoy.
Thanks for the inspiration mate!
there was a squarespace sponsorship opportunity hiding there lmao
Not sure if it's relevant, but I have a feeling that the Internet was better back in the day, because it was less accessible, full of passionates. And now? Oh well.
enshittification
im surprised that AI is the breaking point for people i started souring on the internet just cuz algorithms started getting worse
*TikTok shuts down*
People that used TikTok to search everything:
I think the problem with the internet right now is that everything changes so fast but not its core. Its core remains the same, keep growing into this desert for companies to make money off of. Just desolate place. But on the surface, it's completely different; everything changes so fast. Before the internet, world and local cultures had its current "theme". They are identity for some, they are home for some. But now with the internet, that Theme became "trend". You can't stay there for so long because the trend changed and now you need to move on. Like, the internet doesn't care about you. It stimulates you every single moment you are there, but it's not for you.
I really hope the internet becomes the place it once was. Thank you Garbaj for spreading this word.
I've somehow gotten lucky in that I still get plenty of refreshing content recommended to me. Idk why it is, but it has kept me on YT for like, forever. I do wish alternatives did exist though, and hopefully Gray Jay will help with it!
Btw on AI: The best content I've seen of it are those where it hallucinates or otherwise acts abnormally. Best example I can think of rn is the Luma AI + images from FNAF.
So unless AI somehow got better and we lost access to these less polished ones, then AI content will be ruined for me :P
the freemium model where you make your product good to draw everyone in, then when everyone is stuck you have to make your money when people cant escape because they're stuck
thank you, Garbaj
I randomly got your video recommended like 2 years ago and everytime theres a video I watch it. A Short, simple video but with a thoughtfull inside. Perfection!
Came for the model, stayed for the message.
Me watching this while not finishing my Game
I have started seeing a pattern where when i open comment sections of social media posts, influencers have started leaving "AI bots" to reply comments instead of them doing it, or X comment section being full of AI generated images. Its just so fake to a point where its taking away the "social" part of social media
Bro be yapping but the blender work is something I strive to be doing at some point!
This is so raw, I love it!
Personally, we need to stop overusing background music in videos too.
Its different when someone is talking without random music in the back
I think there are a lot of people are hesitant to share their own creations because they are not only intimidated by the tidal wave of AI slop flooding through every space of media, but also because they're caught up on the wrong part of your quote, "Just MAKE something" when really it should be "Just make SOMETHING." There's not enough xbox 360 frag compilations recorded on your 3DS camera, or random 3D models of obscure shit revealed to someone in a dream. If anyone is reading this, make your art, and as long as it's original, the quality doesn't matter at this rate.
I think you forgot the fact that people will trash talk and shit on their works. That's one of the big reason a lot of people give up, the constant trolling, flaming and shittalking that inevieyably happens.
Throw on top of that the want to improve escalating ones own standards of what's good enough and well... the passion fizzles out as it's overtaken by exhaustion, anxiety and imposter syndrome
The internet is as good as whatever you do on it, keep looking around, there's fun to be found! I used to think this every 2-3 years, but then I would find a new community and have just as much fun as before. Just look around!
My friends and I have been planning to start a production group, short films, comedy skits, a wed series, maybe even the occasional feature length film. My plan is to put our work on YT so we can make SOME money from ads, but also have everything on our own website where you can view our projects without ads. I don't like having money donated, so I think this is a harmless way for people to support what they like by sitting through an ad or two, but if you just want to watch the videos, go to the website.
Techology isn't the problem. Capitalism is the problem. Always has been.
Every country is capitalist.
it's not even capitalism that's the problem here. Capitalism actually boosted the internet quite a bit. How many places can you go online now to buy/sell stuff?
The issue is monopolistic control. None of the companies can reasonably gain a monopoly over a free service, but, by god, they are fucking trying. So, really, it just comes down to working out how to prevent monopolies/oligopolies from occurring. Though, that's significantly easier said than done.
I think at this point, we may need to start requiring online stuff to be open source. Since, at least then, it'll be considerably harder for them to retain control over proprietary software.
@@RyuuTennoMonopoly or not as long as the incentives of the consumers and producers are in opposition then enshittification will happen
Capitalism is the problem because we want quality and companies want money
When money isn't the driving force then we can all aim for quality together
@@Hack--rz1io Capitalism is the underlying financial incentive for people to fix problems in the world, either through technology or services. It itself, is not the problem.
The problem is the fact that we've let these businesses run rampant, rather than attempt to hold them accountable. Capitalism still requires *some*, not much, regulation, to keep predators in check, and protect the customer. Not everyone is going to do stuff for free if you were to eliminate the financial incentives to get things going. Plenty do, and that's great, and that's how we've got things like FOSS, and various charities.
But, for the majority of the people, it still requires money, because unfortunately, "good will" is not enough to pay the bills. They can't pay rent, or buy food, or pay for their car, or school, or utilities, or whatever, on abstract concepts, but they most certainly can with a tangible trade medium.
What needs to be done, is to get the government to look into these businesses and see if they can't establish limitations for them, to prevent them from preying on the customers. Oh, and another side to this, is that we need to hold the government itself accountable, due to the fact that monopolies and oligopolies are always the result of the government allowing them in the first place. Meaning, you can't ever really have monopolies and oligopolies without the government enforcing/encouraging that to begin with.
If you really do think capitalism is still the problem even after this, might I suggest you take your ass straight to North Korea and see how well, a non-capitalist society works out for you? And I'll take it that, if you *don't* leave to live there, then that means you do value capitalism, and therefore you should actually start to consider ways to fix it, without fucking it up for everyone else.
@johanbjorkman1914 ever county is capitalist but the European nations are better at implementing regulations to stop monopolies and greedy corrosive behavior. Doesn't fix the problem but slows it down a great deal.
Commenting just to perhaps boost this a bit in the algorithm. I'm disheartened at the lack of guardrails that exist for the regular person wrt AI, and "I don't want to live in that kind of world", either. Keep being a real one.
I've really wanted to start a channel to talk about video games as art, but I feel kinda not prepared to try it yet
This video makes me want to try and start anyway, thanks for the motivation!
This right here is real shit I love to see it. Thanks Garbaj this is very encouraging.
So. We fight back against the dead Internet
I know this wasn't the point of the video at all, but I absolutely loved the little computer you've made. Reminds me of how all the old source 1 assets were made, and it's a really calming and nostalgic result.
one thing i think is really important remember is that the internet is STILL a huge treasure trove of information and art, but its just completely buried under slop and the greed of hundreds of mega corporations and soulless people
thank you for motivating me to subscribe to more smaller artists who make stuff with passion! and also for making me want to create cool art!
Very moving and true, maybe we do have the power to make internet fun and useful again. Thank you for being you
What do you mean by censorship? can you give examples?
It's why I make my awful gaming edits. It's because I have an idea, some of my friends will find it funny, and it feels goo to improve my skills with a technical program. I will continue to do so, regardless of if my stuff gets picked up the algorithm. I could have made another DRG video to capitalize off of the virality of the first, but I didn't because I didn't have any ideas. I made the original just because a moment happened in game, I didn't feel the need to go force another moment. Maybe some day I'll have another moment in game that leads to some kind of sequel video, but i'll only make that video because it will be fun to work on. In the mean time I've been having fun learning blender on my new computer, I used an animation sequence as the main idea it frames around for a video I made two days ago. Hopefully I can work up to doing an animation that several minutes long someday.
If anything the thing becoming useless *might* be the world wide web, not the internet
hell yeaaah!!! time to think about it for five minutes just to keep everything to myself/friends afterwards
Great video with a soul thank you for making this.
this video does motivate me to finish the approx. 2947284 various unfinished projects I have
As an artist (for fun) i have alot of options that aren't being worn down by ai, and greed. There are ALOT of art communities. I'll list the ones i use. Sketchers united (made because the sketch app servers went offline), Animemaker(needs updates pretty badly, but has been my favorite community since i was a kid, has absolutely ZERO ai art), Whiteboard fox(basically a bunch of temporary servers where everyone csn draw together and hang out lots of fun, but limited by paywalls), Discord has alot of art communities, Reddit also has alot of communities that you can post art and fanart too. (Reddit as a whole is degrading, but some subreddits are still great and sime not so much). Theres also a pixel art community that i havent interacted with on an app called Pixel Studio.
Thank you ive been wanting to return to youtube for a while now ill start writing a script now
Thank you Garbaj :3
2:53 I really needed this lol ty garbaj
Amen brother. I'm a Helldivers 2 youtuber and voice my strong opinions to fight all the disinformation and the robots. No AI voice overs, No AI thumbnails. Real people playing games having fun.
I watch your videos because of exactly what you describe. Im not in video game design, but I love your genuine content. I will always click on your videos when i see a new release.
It's this sentiment that's motivated me to crossover with MLP with DooM as much as possible
Human connection is increasingly lacking online, but many crave it... I do.
i know the absolute basics of blender, i've used it to fix up some stl files for 3d printing. I loved watching someone just use these simple functions to just create something. AI could never
AI slop is the most prominent problem imo
Internet: the og of havin identity crisis
all treasure chests will be drained by greedy men, eventually
we must find more
This is one reason I upload what I upload to my UA-cam channel. It’s a live journal so I can go back and see what I’ve done. It’s also a time capsule so that if anyone wants to go back in the past and see some stuff, they can.
As for a website. I don’t have that kind of money right now 😂
They came for the radio, then they came for tv and newspaper, and now they came for internet 🤔 I'm sensing a pattern 😂
You know things are real when GARBAJ swears😭
Oh hey, haven't seen your videos appear in my feed in a while. Good to know you're still going!
The internet was not a treasure trove, it was a cesspit 🙄
plot twist: author want you to upload your creative ideas to create new datasets to train AI
"It doesn't matter if it ain't perfect, as long as it's real"
I..
I think that's it. I finally get it. That's what I'm supposed to do right? Making stuff I like is one part of the equation, but I always want to make it perfect. There is beauty in that, for sure, but there also is in just a genuine "thing". Doesn't really matter what it is. As long as it is genuine, even if it didn't last.
First exams tho, gotta grind for one more week.
Thanks garbaj
🗣🗣🔥🔥"People want real shit"🔥🔥
Search engines not working like they used to hits the hardest. Sometimes ill look for a thing i saw ages ago, maybe it's a tutorial, and for whatever reason, I can't find that anymore. Or maybe it's something new I'm looking for. That still sucks. Everything is search engine optimized so that it casts the largest net possible, which leads to search results that have nothing to do with what I'm looking for.
I wonder if it's even possible to salvage it. The internet's way too tainted now. Sorry if I'm being too pessimistic
That's a good and inspiring idea. But imo this will just reinforce current feedback-loop of ai reproduction of content. The more we create - the more material machines have to digest and reproduce (quite a nihilist statement i'm making here). Current way of things reminds me of Bennet Foddy's talk about "trash culture" in his Getting Over It.
But you gave me hope, mister Garbaj, i'll now gonna finish a few of my projects which i'll wanted to make for a long time for communities which i'm a part of. No matter how bad of a creative person i am
stay hopeful, keep working on that project!
yes, please post more unique and useful training data for the models
even if that's a cool cute idea, doing that will keep feeding the AIs... the issue is bigger than just "go post something unique"
I've been on this quest to make a video talking about video games for the past 3 years, I Haven't been able to write down a single paragraph of what i wanna say all because it doesn't feel like it's me writing and that's when I realized that I forgot what real content even looked like. Probably now I might take another jab at it.
My personal net profile is already linked somewhere on all my currently active accounts including what you see right now. I even have a blog there.
Was gonna leave an ironically hollow comment for the algorithm boost, but I really gotta admire that sense of duty here. Being a cynical pessimist doomer has been trendy for too long, and its made the world an uglier place than it should be, given our blessings. We stand on the shoulders of giants yet choose to jump off and get walked on. Nothing but respect for you, we out here bringing optimism back.
"Keep your eyes on the prize, and go get it. Cause those people who don't try, get no credit" -Chali 2na, Change the World
i hesitate to fully buy into "old thing good" because nostalgia poisoning is very real and very prevalent but this is 100% true unfortunately
one day garbaj one day......
The internet has become a prominent part of society, that the buzz we deemed as useful and innovative - like easy-to-access information and communication - is now more of a hum we consider as the norm.
And that was the point all along; to share our creations and knowledge with ease... until companies started fighting for attention, and now it's completely tarnishing the internet dream. We're here to be with each other from afar, to laugh and argue, to compliment and criticize, not to have a personal pocket machine that tries to grab our attention towards soullessly generated media.
You can argue that the internet has always been full of shit, but even then it was more of an open field than a closed city block... but who are they to decide what's best for you? Go for a walk!
Looks like we have to do something before every human is brain-rotted. I'm in.
Maybe I'm being cautious not showing my game protype online long before I have a non tutorial project assets or even half the abilities or weapons implemented for the demo. But as it is only having been seen by my sister and mother I have no feedback on if I want to even continue. I got no work on it done for last 2 months because of this.
The internet is becoming garbaj😔😔😔
I feel like I never see anything. I want to see more. The only things I see what I’ve already seen or what the algorithm thinks I want to see but it’s just been getting worse and worse and what the algorithm thinks I wanna see it just slop.
I think the problem with everything is the fact that companies just want money and people just want money. They don’t care about anything besides money and numbers
I don’t want to save it..