I am sitting here with my coffee this morning (Beanies Creamy Caramel – check it out) and wondering how things have massively changed in the short first 5 months of 2024. Famous and well used websites/services all seem to be changing beyond our dreams and AI is literally everywhere.
I have had a quick look around Youtube this morning after cancelling my Youtube premium subscription (for several reasons – see HERE for more) and well, to be honest, it was a pile of stinking doo dar. The search works badly, the videos they recommend are all the videos with huge viewing figures so they can make more money, and now the subscription is over, the ads – well they were annoying, everywhere, and literally ruined the whole experience. Facebook useage has dropped off a cliff with posts getting like 90% less engagement, and likes, well they are few and far between for a lot of things. Facebook is chasing the dollars hard these days, just like Youtube and it has significantly ruined the whole thing. Throw in that Meta seem unable to hold onto your data or privacy and I can see why the platform is losing its way. X/Twitter is well a cesspit now with only those willing to pay to use it or famous celebs, but even then the interaction is well, poor. It appears that 2024 has shown that people can go out and do things away from social media, for example.
So why and how has this happened? Well we had a little hiccup in the world which changed things around – people were literally stuck at home for months, and this changed how a lot of people worked and used their spare time. But that is over now, and things are going back to how they were pre-pandemic. Inflation worldwide has also made it a lot more expensive for things like internet access and food and energy. this means people cut down on things, and divert funds elsewhere like living. I am seeing watching TV coming back for a lot of people after it went away because there was only so much tv you could watch when you had so much spare time. It’s just a progression. So what does the future hold? Well unfortunately, I feel that the bubble for social media has well and truly burst. So many platforms, so many rules, so little data security and privacy means people think more about what they post and when with actual interesting posts being less and less often. I have criticised Meta often enough and I know that means my post visibility is reduced, throw in the ads, suggested posts and the rest of the push to get money , and well my posts are drowned in a sea of mediocrity (some might say like my posts). Throw in that many of the folk I know who used to rely on promotion via Facebook saying the only way it works now is to pay, and well you get the idea. Facebook/Instagram saying that they will use your data for AI purposes is the final straw for many, and in the EU – well it seems Facebook is being hammered from all sides. It isn’t just social media though – everything seems to be on a downward trajectory with a real apathy everywhere these days. Youtube has bet the farm on Shorts, which are just Tik Tok clone, whilst Tik Tok is pursued as the enemy in the US by, well, everybody. Tik Tok themselves saying they don’t make much money in the US shows this fragile bubble has burts, and whilst I can see this running and running, the end of the “free” model is nigh (I have been saying it for a few years, it’s not here yet but it’s close).
Anyhoo – that’s about it. there are a few signs that things might change for the better – but it seems that the internet in general is in a real slump or doldrums. Let’s see what happens moving forward, but I personally feel it won’t be for the better, but for worse!
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