Română
Table of Contents:
- The 1990s-2000: The Era of Innocence
- The Dawn of a Revolution (2004-2010): When Social Media Was Still a Friendly Game
- The Mobile Explosion (2010-2015): The Smartphone, Handcuffs in Your Pocket
- The Years 2015-2022: TikTok and the Illusion of Instant Knowledge
- The Years 2022-Present: Artificial Intelligence – Salvation or Destruction?
- From a Beautiful Dream to a Nightmare: The Digital Apocalypse is Here
- Audio podcast based on the theme of this article.
If you’re of a certain age, I’m sure you remember the sound of a dial-up internet connection very well? I first heard it around 1993, and from 1995, with the help of the Soros Foundation (yes, the foundation created by the much-maligned George Soros), I had free internet at home.
Back then, the internet was an exclusive club, and a computer with an Intel 286 processor cost about $1500 (example: the one in the image below), which was my salary for a year. Forums were full of people passionate about science, engineering, programming, or literature. At night, I would quietly read technical documentation, connecting with brilliant minds from all over the globe.
In those years, the internet was like a gateway to a secret world. Each second of waiting for a web page to load was full of anticipation.
But what happened to this world full of promise? Let’s talk frankly about how the internet transformed from a promise of liberation into a mad race for our attention.
PC with Intel 286 processor, 1993
The 1990s-2000: The Era of Innocence
In the ’90s, technology was a luxury, and internet connection was an adventure. Forums were full of deep discussions, and information was treated like a treasure. There was no “virality,” only an exchange of ideas.
Can you imagine what it would have been like to live in a world without fake reviews or fabricated news? That’s where it all began – in a controlled environment, but inaccessible to the vast majority of people.
I remember the constructive discussions on forums, the respect for information, and the genuine desire to share knowledge. It was a time when content was verified, and value was placed on quality, not quantity. Limited access, while creating a certain inequality, ensured a certain high standard of information.
Internet Explorer 1995
The Dawn of a Revolution (2004-2010): When Social Media Was Still a Friendly Game
“Want to be my friend on Facebook?”
In 2004, this question seemed harmless. In the beginning, the platform was like an online memory album, we were seeing schoolmates again, sharing pictures from parties, and laughing at the first memes. YouTube (2005) offered us guitar tutorials and videos with music and funny cats. Everything seemed… innocent.
But with the emergence of these social media platforms, a new stage in the evolution of the internet opened. Not only did these networks facilitate internet access for a large mass of users, but, in parallel, the price of access decreased significantly, making it much more affordable.
The internet was no longer a luxury, but became a reality for more and more people. Now, everyone could have a voice – but this democratization also brought with it a fierce competition for validation.
Posts were no longer necessarily about ideas, but about the number of likes.
Do you remember the first time you obsessively checked a status, waiting to see how many people clicked “like”? That was the beginning of the addiction to digital validation.
The platforms gave us the illusion of connection, but in reality, they isolated us in bubbles of constant comparison and created a fierce competition for attention. Status updates, photos, everything demanded social validation, and comparisons became more and more frequent.
Users began to pay excessive attention to how they are perceived online, building a virtual world in which self-image depended on the validation of a virtual audience.
And this phenomenon marked the beginning of a new form of social anxiety, fueled by constant comparisons and the pressure to project a perfect image.
The Mobile Explosion (2010-2015): The Smartphone, Handcuffs in Your Pocket
When I held the first iPhone in my hand, I didn’t imagine for a moment the huge impact it would have. What seemed like a technological miracle was to become a tool with alarming side effects.
Once the internet entered our pockets, we lost the last barrier between real life and virtual life. The advent of cheap smartphones and high-speed mobile connections, now accessible to a very large audience, made the internet omnipresent.
This democratization of access, while bringing benefits such as rapid access to information and easy communication, also had a dark side. The drastic decline in the quality of content, the increasingly skillful manipulation, and the spread of fake news marked the beginning of an informational disaster. Addiction became a widespread problem, and the effects were devastating.
Do you think it’s a coincidence that anxiety in young people exploded after 2012? With Instagram, a toxic visual culture emerged, based on constant comparisons and the display of false perfection.
People began to present an edited version of reality, generating anxiety, insecurity, and a deep sense of inadequacy. Social networks have transformed into a showcase of perfection, where truth and authenticity have been sacrificed on the altar of image.
Then I began to understand that technology, although created with good intentions, can generate profound social and psychological problems.
The Years 2015-2022: TikTok and the Illusion of Instant Knowledge
If Instagram made us compare ourselves, TikTok stole our ability to think deeply.
The emergence of TikTok and short-form video content brought a new challenge. Although it offers fast and accessible entertainment, this platform has excessively simplified content, contributing to a decrease in attention span and the ability to concentrate.
15-second clips, viral dances, information simplified to the point of absurdity. Short clips, often superficial and lacking depth, began to dominate the digital landscape, transforming the way we consume information.
The algorithm knows better than us what we want – but it transforms us into pawns in a distraction game. TikTok’s intelligent algorithm, while efficient at retaining user attention, also created information bubbles, where people are exposed only to content similar to their preferences, thus limiting the diversity of perspectives.
And don’t forget about cryptocurrencies: promises of quick riches, but also risks that left many with empty accounts. In parallel, the cryptocurrency boom created a new form of speculation and generated the illusion of quick enrichment, exposing many people to major financial risks.
Dubious influencers and digital pyramid schemes have taken root in the digital landscape, using social networks to attract unsuspecting victims.
The Years 2022-Present: Artificial Intelligence – Salvation or Destruction?
ChatGPT writes essays, DeepMind solves difficult equations, and deepfakes can make us believe anything about anyone. We live in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) – a realm full of promises, but also of dangers, where manipulation is the order of the day.
How will you know if this article was written by a human or a robot, because at this moment it is impossible to tell the difference!
AI can do the hard work for us, but unfortunately it has already stolen our creativity! And when you think that ChatGPT, which appeared 2 years ago, can already write a text faster than we do.
And it’s not just about ChatGPT. There are already tons of AI applications that have started to replace writers, graphic designers, music composers, accountants, lawyers, programmers, data analysts, translators, journalists and the list is extremely long.
And it’s not just about job losses. Think about the manipulation we are subjected to daily. Algorithms bombard us with personalized information that confirms our own beliefs, reinforcing social polarization.
We are manipulated to buy products we don’t need, to vote for candidates we don’t really know, to believe in conspiracy theories that divide us. And that’s not all! Artificial intelligence is used to influence elections at the state level, as, unfortunately, has happened in Romania. False speeches, fake profiles, fabricated news – all created by AI to change the outcome of the vote.
From a Beautiful Dream to a Nightmare: The Digital Apocalypse is Here
From the magical sound of the dial-up modem, a gateway to a new world full of promises, we have arrived here: in a reality distorted by algorithms, lies, and a fierce competition for our attention.
The internet, once a hope, a space of knowledge and authentic connections, has transformed into a cancer that erodes our creativity, manipulates our emotions, and destroys our ability to distinguish truth from falsehood.
We have already lost control, and the future sounds like an empty echo, full of whispers generated by artificial intelligence, whispers that tell us what to believe, what to feel, and who to hate.
And after the evolution of events in the last period, I don’t think we have any chance to wake up anymore. We are heading blindly towards a bleak future, a world in which humanity no longer has any meaning, a world controlled by cold algorithms and hardened hearts.
I have the impression that we are about to pass the critical point. Have we already lost our compass? Is there a way back? Or have we condemned ourselves?
Audio podcast based on the theme of this article
In an insightful discussion, the podcast analyzes the evolution of the internet from the “age of innocence” to the current challenges of AI, algorithmic equations and the impact on society. It emphasizes the importance of human connections and responsible use of technology.
