Slop is a Waste

Slop is a waste. I don't mean in the sense you hear everyone complain about: a waste of energy, a waste of water, or a waste of chip manufacturing bandwidth. I mean slop is a waste of attention.

Mechanisms designed for human communication have become overrun with self-promoting AI content. You're probably familiar with this concept if you've heard of the "dead internet theory", but I'm talking about something a little less apocalyptic.

Ostensibly, I navigate to Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, or Twitter to find content from a human author. All of these are (or became popular because they were) recommendation engines for human interaction. A sleight-of-hand has been performed across almost all online communication, where the human connection that made it great has been replaced by plausible fakes that only share the form of the original, and not the function.

I don't think that sleight-of-hand is total, and I'm not even sure it has significantly decreased the amount of human interaction on these platforms. So why am I writing this rant? I just think this slop is a stupid waste of time.

If I go to social media, my inbox, or Discord (or whatever the kids use these days), I'm looking for human interaction. I'm definitely not looking for AI-generated placebos of human interaction. If I wanted to read a generic computer-generated anecdote about generating shareholder value, I wouldn't look on social media, or my inbox. AI companies have provided dedicated channels for that, and the fact that it exists in channels dedicated to human interaction is offensive.

It's even worse when a human presents slop as personal, sincere communication. We take it for granted that someone will do that on social media, but I've had business contacts directly send me AI generated communications with made-up stories and broken links, hours before interviews. And, to my chagrin, I'm sure it will happen again in the future.

Once, I was on the hook for a coaching program, and a representative completely discredited their company unnecessarily by sending me a 100% AI-generated email. They didn't have to send that email, let alone have AI fabricate success stories to try and sell me on their coaching. I was already figuring out where to cut spending to afford it.

Why am I making such a big deal about one AI email? Why end a budding business relationship over it? Companies send out automated email campaigns all the time, isn't this just the next evolution? (I do already despise automated campaigns, but I'll save that for another time.)

Here's why it matters to me. Wholesale AI "communication" is dishonest. It is not communication at all. It's filler. It shows a disrespect for my time and attention. It devalues all other communication in that channel. It violates the very purpose of online communication.

Email is for sending direct messages to people. Facebook is for keeping in touch with old friends. LinkedIn is for online business networking. These do not exist for companies to steal my attention to market to me with mere facsimiles, and doing so is an abuse of their purpose.

What does the future of online communication look like if everyone continues to allow this false communication?

Maybe there's no stopping it. But I sure won't be quiet about it.

Either way, you have my promise that any writing you see from me really is written by me, and not a BS machine.

Until next time.