I don’t remember much from high school, but I vividly recall the first time we watched funny videos online during computer class. The classroom scene is clear: moving from one computer to another, laughing together at clumsy cats and botched renovation projects. Back then, content had weight. We received little of it, and what we got wasn’t polished or optimized to perfection, nor did it try too hard to impress us.
Today, this isn’t just my personal nostalgia: younger generations have no idea what the internet was like back then. Though we were born into the digital age and it feels natural to us, I increasingly sense that we’re facing an inflation of stimuli, not just prices. There’s too much of everything—too fast, too easy to get. The problem? When everything is funny, beautiful, or perfect, nothing truly stands out. The more flawless content looks, the quicker my eyes move on.
I Use It—That’s Why I Notice
I don’t want to sound hypocritical: I use AI too. It helps me rephrase sentences when my eyes blur, navigate a foreign city’s subway, or plan a vacation itinerary.
I find it useful because it saves time—and I’ve long learned that time is one of our greatest gifts.
That’s why I also notice when generated content floods every corner. I spot the repeated phrases, the rhythm of sentences, the predictable thinking, the formulaic fixes, and the “too precise” use of emojis. I follow creators I genuinely respect, yet increasingly feel their posts lack the spark that made me subscribe in the first place. It’s not that they’re saving time too, but that their posts slowly lose expert presence and personal insight, because the goal becomes “just to have a post today”. When I picked up a book I’d been eagerly awaiting and sensed from the first pages that AI had actively helped with the writing, something inside me shifted for good.
My Brain Doesn’t Want to Scroll Algorithms Even in Free Time
Everyone hits that point when they just scroll on automatically. And that point keeps shifting as creators chase new algorithm trends to reach more people and boost their market value. But our brains quickly spot patterns, and content without real stakes, intention, or valuable info just can’t hold attention amid all the noise.
Still, AI only produces averages, safe, well-functioning, “middle-of-the-road” solutions—especially in the free versions accessible to the public.
But consumers are searching less for the average and more for the unique—something only humans can dream up (at least for now).
What Algorithms Simply Can’t Copy
Of course, I mean this figuratively—technically, almost everything can be modeled now. Still, I want to believe that during this transition, when we can still mostly tell what’s real and what’s not, some content keeps digital life human. AI can’t empathize, be present in the moment, or react instinctively. It only writes angry posts or creates less polished but honest photos when we explicitly tell it to.
And that’s the difference: there’s simply nothing behind it.
My desire for meaningful, human content became very clear to me. At first, I automatically scrolled past videos where it was obvious that AI had “helped” with the emotional moments. Soon after, I left TikTok. When the cutest animal clips were unnecessarily edited with fake scenes, I realized I didn’t want more content at all. In fact, I wanted less—but real content.
Is Human Presence Now a Luxury?
Today, it’s rare to find creators who don’t optimize, polish, or smooth everything out. But I trust that more will dare to show imperfection—no matter the subject. Just as the demand for handcrafted food emerged after the fast-food era, perhaps it’s time for “handcrafted content” after digital clutter. Live, uncut conversations may return, “analog hobbies” might become trendy again, and genuine, unretouched, algorithm-free content could grow.
AI is a mirror to our society, showing us what can’t be automated. Maybe this overload will lead us back to reality? It’s not necessarily about less technology, but more awareness. I believe younger generations will relate to AI just as we learn to filter fake news. If the price of this era is a renewed appreciation for human presence, then it’s been worth it.
