What can the future of content creation be like if the ‘Dead Internet Theory’ actually comes true? Okay, despite all the fearmongering it’s actually not likely that it will come true. But some parts of it will come to pass. And that’s enough to significantly disrupt content creation as a livelihood.
We are already seeing it: artificial intelligence (AI) is more popular among people looking for information, tips and inspiration whereas just three years ago it was still blogs and content creators. And what’s worse, what AI offers is copied from us content creators with no compensation whatsoever… Even though we’re the ones who did all the work = all the actual thinking.
We’re all at the mercy of this global copy machine and fighting it might feel futile. But I’m not one for giving up! So today I shall be thinking beyond the online world. I’ll pull it back a bit and return to the real world because that’s something they can never take away from us.
So, let’s consider what the future of content creators could look like and how we can keep our income streams going offline as well.
What is the Dead Internet Theory?
The Internet as we know it became a mainstream tool at the end of the 1990’s and the early 2000’s. Only 15 years later the rumours started to spread that the Internet was “dying”. Not a very long lifespan, wouldn’t you say?
The rumour mill started on online forums (as they usually do) but were quickly stamped as a conspiracy theory. The presented idea was that by 2016 the Internet was already so riddled with automated bot activity and content that it was partly preventing the Internet’s original functions.
The difference between the Internet in the early 2000’s versus nowadays is the fact that originally there were no algorithms. The World Wide Web was open and mainly decentralised. Obviously many companies saw what a money-making machine it could be and so they started to centralise it: the Big Tech was born.
- They brought in predictive algorithms that started offering Internet users what the algorithm thought they wanted instead of actual factual information.
- Quite quickly these algorithms proved to be a very efficient tool for controlling huge masses of people.
- So, the Big Tech brought in bot farms and by doing so proved the Dead Internet Theory, which they had originally branded as a ‘conspiracy theory’.
By 2025 it was estimated that over 50% of Internet traffic was AI-generated, as in ‘dead’. By 2026 the estimates had grown to 60% and things are getting rapidly worse.
Some people go as far as predicting that by 2050 the Internet will be ‘shut down’ as it has become completely automated and as such superfluous. Personally, from the point of view of the future of content creation, I doubt it but I also don’t think it’s impossible.
I just think that at this point, with all the technology at our use, how could we not find a solution for scraping away all the bot/AI traffic from our online spaces? Are we humans really that un-innovative?
Is There a Future for Content Creators?
The dead internet has certainly proven its worth as an efficient tool in controlling huge masses of people. Just look at all the far right governments that got into power in Europe at the beginning of the 2020’s and how destroying democratic institutions in those countries led to massive riots.
And that’s where the hope lies! No matter how riddled with bots the Internet is, we humans live in the real world, not online. And it’s about time we were reminded of that!
As we get into grips with reality, it’s time to start preparing for things getting worse before they get better (because that’s how it always goes…) With the online world being crowded by non-human activity we can focus on using our skills in the real world to make a living.
The future of content creation will always rely on gathering, maintaining and growing an audience. And that we can do offline as well!
Read also: Slow Business – How the Slow Movement Can Benefit Your Business
Step 1. Collect necessary audience information
In order to maintain your current audience base you should download customer contact details and subscriber/follower lists. Gather them in, for example, an Excel file. While we still have the Internet, encourage your audience to engage in offline activities like a penpal club or other ways to keep in contact.
- At the end of the day, we don’t know how much worse things can still get.
- So, even without the Dead Internet Theory, your Internet might be shut down by your government next week.
- But while your audience has access to you offline, you can still keep up the relationship and let them know about your goings-on and offers.
Step 2. Move on to direct sales
Whether you let your audience know about your offers by sending them a catalogue, letter (how quaint would that be?!) or an email, direct sales could be even better than selling through content creation. After all, a lot more time and effort goes into creating content that generates traffic so this could be a time saver!
We can do direct sales via:
- paid subscriptions
- product catalogues
- in-person classes and courses
- books and prints
- live performances
- licenses, etc.
More on the topic: Why I Am NOT Growing My Business – A Different View to Entrepreneurship
Step 3. Focus on building a network locally
The perk about being online is the fact that you can reach the entire world with just one video. But in the near future of content creation we might do well to focus a bit closer to home.
This probably sounds like a nightmare to introverts who have built an empire online from their bedroom. But no worries, you can start small!
- Run a local workshop for friends and ask them to spread the word.
- Give a lecture at the local school and use it as an opportunity to talk about your business.
- Collaborate with local venues and organisations.
- And of course participate in local events to network and market yourself and your business.
Form genuine relationships with current and future customers with the recognisable voice and expertise that previously brought you attention online. That sort of an audience is much harder to lose as no third party platform can just come and delete them from your life.
How To Transfer Your Online Expertise Offline?
IF the worst should happen and the Internet is taken down in its entirety, we’ll need to cope somehow offline. And that’s okay! The future of content creation can exist offline, as it did so for hundreds of years before the 1990’s when the Internet became available to us.
The main difference will be that we can’t hide behind faceless accounts anymore because things need to be done in person. But how to transfer our online skills into offline offers? We can start answering this by considering services like:
- in-person workshops and classes (already becoming more and more popular)
- consulting businesses and individuals on different matters
- speaking gigs
- books, guides, etc.
Instead of an Instagram feed on a tiny phone screen your beautiful photography could be better showcased in a book or in frames. And your special area of expertise is easier to transfer to people in a concrete face-to-face consultancy session. Here’s how to get to work:
What is it that you’re selling?
In order to sell our online expertise offline, we need to remind ourselves once again why we create the content that we do. What is it that we’re offering to the people, how can we help them? Getting clear on the concrete outcome of your offline offer gives you a firm base to build on.
For example: let’s say you’ve been teaching people how to create content online, or created the content for them as a social media manager. You can transfer your expertise offline by offering classes on how to photograph/film videos, how to use different editing tools, etc.
Get into the actual tangible actions and create a product or a service around it.
How to package your skills into a paid offer?
Once you’re clear on what you want to offer for your offline audience, it’s time to package it up! Creating a couple of different kinds of offers makes it easier for people to pick the services they need. Packaging your offer could be done like this:
- a two-hour workshop for €£$
- a coaching package including four sessions for €£$
- or a half-day team training for €£$.
Create different packages for individual customers and for businesses. Price them accordingly.
How to check if your offer works?
The ones who will succeed in the future of content creation will be the ones who do proper research. So, when you have your what, why and how, it’s time to pilot it!
The easiest way to do this is to offer a discounted price for the first packages for a select group of people. It can even be friends and family. Let them test your product/service and ask for feedback and testimonials. Remember to also ask for permission to share them.
Where can you sell your products/services?
As social media isn’t an option in this scenario, how do we do sales?? Well, we’ll have to do it the analog way: finding buyers directly. This can sound very scary indeed, but fret not, there are multiple different ways to do this. Surely at least one of these could work for you:
- contact venues and associations
- visit schools
- schedule face-to-face meetings with businesses and nonprofits.
Obviously choose venues and clients that need your expertise. A face-to-face meeting is the scariest but also the most efficient way to sell. Keep it short and snappy, give them a clear description of what you’re offering and how it could benefit them. If they seem dubious, offer them a trial.
Keep track of how different groups respond to your offering and improve accordingly. For example, the strongest performing workshop can grow into a regular class, a package for corporations or a book.
Final Thoughts On The Future Of Content Creation
All is not lost, my friends! While enshittification is taking over everything, including the Internet, we can walk the other way. We can still keep on doing what we love to do, we just have to adjust the way we do it and keep our audience aware of it.
Sure, it will require more effort and time offline but in return you might find that your community becomes stronger than ever. Your customers are no longer just a number on your follower count but actual human beings. And your products/services feel much more substantial when you can actually see how they benefit people.
Whether they will ever shut down the Internet or not, the fact remains that it would be healthy for us to return to basics. No more chasing growth! Instead, focus on the joy of doing what you’re good at and the positive impact you have in the world with it. ♥
Follow me on TikTok and get to know me better by listening to my podcast, Random Rambles. If you wish to work with me, check out my services here!
