Erase the Internet
The internet was a mistake.
It’s time to fix it.
Computers Used to help and Inspire Humanity
In decades past, humans used computers to learn, to chat with friends and strangers, to play silly games, and to share cat photos. We made friends. We created weird and unusual websites just for fun. Websites offered unique experiences and had a spark of eccentricity about them. Sure, there was the occasional computer virus or bout of dysentery, but we were exploring a new dimension of information and interconnectivity.
What was once fun and intriguing is now Sterile and Lifeless
People used to talk about 'surfing the web,' and 'exploring cyberspace.' They imagined the future would be a bright place. Now, the art and imagination once seen everywhere in digital form, is now languishing and replaced with ads and manipulation. Human connection has been limited, except to promote outrage and addiction. In some cases AI users are even replacing human users, pushing us toward the hypothesized "dead internet theory."
Technology once inspired hope and Radical creativity
In the late 80's and 90's, people looked to the future with a sense of hope. We were making wondrous new discoveries and inventing new technologies. There was a sense of wonder when Voyager 2 passed Neptune in 1989, and curiosity when NASA sent Cassini to explore Saturn in 1997, aided by state-of-the-art computer command systems and CMOS image sensors. Electronic music took off as artists like Daft Punk, Orbital, Tangerine Dream, and The Future Sound of London pushed the boundaries of music with the help of custom-built electronic instruments and computerized synthesizers. Video games were enabled by advanced semiconductor chips and pushed the boundaries of technology, growing from 2D platformers like Tron, Donkey Kong, and the original Legend of Zelda into 3D immersive experiences like Final Fantasy VII, Tomb Raider, and Ocarina of Time. In medical science, astronomy, and particle physics, computers were allowing scientists to arrange and process data in new ways, and to visualize complex geometry such as the bending of spacetime described by general relativity and the shapes of the complex molecules involved in drug manufacturing. And on top of it all, and exciting new tool was emerging that let scientists communicate, share data, and collaborate like never before: ARPANET, then NSFnet in the mid 80's, and finally the modern internet in the 90s, when it became widely available to the general public.
The Web Should Connect Us
We called it the "world wide web" -- the reason why we type "www" before website addresses -- and it was meant to be a place of interconnections, sharing, and communication. The early internet was a place for academic and government researchers to collaborate, share resources, and information. Initially funded by DARPA, it was later funded by the National Science Foundation to make it more broadly available and to encourage worldwide participation. By the time the 90's rolled around, there were chat rooms, discussion forums, and early websites for music, games, and media. People made friends across the globe, wrote digital diary entries to share with others, or created websites for their favorite books, movies and bands. Certainly, this early web had it's flaws: viruses were everyone, connections could be ruined by picking up the phone, and folks began getting scammed right away. But the web was fun then, and it inspired hope for the future.
Where did it all go wrong? Perhaps the problems were always there, but over time things grew worse. The culprit? "The algorithm." Arguments and political debates garnered more attention than artwork, poetry, or even cat photos. But this was no accident, no quirk of human nature. Certainly, any of us can get drawn into drama and debates, but social media algorithms began to prioritize engagement and clicks, which meant prioritizing controversy and outrage. The web was turned into a negative feedback loop of human anger. The results are now all around us. So what do we do?
a blueprint to fix the future
How do we even begin to fix this problem? It's possible the internet may die on its own. In some ways that appears to already be happening. Over half of all internet traffic is now artificial bots. But what can we do to help, and to protect ourselves? Step 1: ween off of social media. Delete your accounts. Disconnect and have real conversations with real people. Keep you messaging apps if you must, but go outside and look at the clouds. Pet your cat or walk your dog. As Gen-Z likes to say, touch some grass. If you do use a computer... use it for something creative.
But this alone may not be enough. If the internet itself does not die in an AI-fueled collapse, something more drastic may need to happen.
the Great Erase
We must erase the internet.
The thought occurred to me late one Friday evening, while fog drifted outside the lab and the research associates smoked joints far away, outside the lounges, clubs, and dive bars in the ruins of old downtown. While they were unwinding, I was sifting reams of data, alone in the dark with numbers scrolling down my terminals and code splashed across my screens.
It was an intrusive and disturbing thought, for after all, the internet was a vast trove of knowledge, and a communication web that spanned the globe and united humanity. It was supposed to help humankind. And yet… and yet… everything. The seas were warming and the forests were burning. Strange sicknesses were spreading that left people’s minds foggier than city streets, and even once optimistic fandoms were now rife with discord.
These were not the sort of thoughts I was accustomed to having, for my years of post-graduate instruction were in the medical engineering subfield of biological science. And yet, I could not escape the idea of an erase. A mass deletion. The thought had a life of its own. A vibe that I could not shake. And there in the dark, I knew it was our only hope...
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The full "Great Erase" story has been published and featured at Neon Dystopia. Check it out here!
Check out more of my stories, writing, poems, and other ideas at my homepage: www.ryanwalraven.com
Copyright Ryan Walraven 2026
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