The internet isn’t getting emptier, it’s just that the signal-to-noise ratio keeps dropping as everyone tries to optimize for engagement. I’m working on something that tries to flip that: The Zeitgeist Experiment maps public opinion without feeds, likes, or follower counts. The goal is substance over virality. Interesting thread so far.

I think the internet is changing, but maybe not in the way people think. What feels emptier is the centralized platforms. Mastodon, Lemmy, and other fediverse spaces are actually getting more interesting because you can find communities that care about depth. But yes, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram those places are hollowed out by algorithms. You are right to notice that. I am working on something to help map where people actually agree and disagree, instead of what algorithms surface.