About 67 Stations

Have you heard of the Dead Internet Theory? I just heard the term. It's a fascinating mix of observable facts and dystopian conspiracy. The factual part is that the vast majority of content on the internet is generated by AI and posted by bots. The conspiracy part is that some sort of centralized shadow rulers are instigating this to make the population docile. I'm not advocating that part, and I don't personally believe it. The incentives of flooding the internet with AI generated garbage are enough for it to happen without central planning. The interesting part of the theory is that theres so much low-quality trash on the internet, it is effectively dead.

I didn't have a name for it, but we have been working on a way to create an island of life in the ocean of dead content. Shortly after the first version of this site went live, I came across this video from Pursuit of Wonder. This is where I learned about the Dead Internet Theory, and why we use the word Spam to describe unsolicited crap. Truth be told, this video outlines the problems I am trying to solve better than I would. So If you want to know what problems led to the creation of 67 Stations, watch this video.

Here are some highlights from the video:

  • Most websites are motivated to show you lots of low-quality crap.
  • Subscriber/Follower models no longer work, and online artists are separated from their audience.
  • Artists have to create art to please algorithms rather than pleasing themselves and their audience.
  • Most websites show you what they want, rather than what you want

How are we trying to bring the internet back to life?Surprisingly, a dedication to a few simple principles can solve some of the biggest problems we face.

  • Show users content from people they want to follow.
  • Don’t show users content from people they don't follow
  • Don't add addictive or manipulative functionality

The power of these ideals become evident when we look at what happens in their absence on social media today. Algorithms are designed to show you content you didn't ask to see. Content from channels/people/pages you follow lightly trickles into your feed. Facebook asks content creator pages to pay for followers to see their posts, like an ad. It's called Organic Reach, and it doesn't work. Here is an article Facebook wrote about it over a decade ago: Organic Reach on Facebook  It's not just Facebook. And it's not just a nuisance. Artists that used to rely on social media to connect with their audience now have to pay an arm and a leg to reach them.

So that's some of the problems with not seeing the content you asked to see. What about the problems with seeing content you didn't ask to see? Ever hear the word "misinformation"? That's what happens when someone makes up a lie, usually a shocking and aggravating lie, and the algorithms shows it to everyone. Am I saying 67 Stations can get rid of misinformation? Of course not. But if you don't see content from bots and people you don't follow, the misinformation you see is what you choose to see. We all have that cousin or sibling or parent that shows the most ridiculous stuff. You know their posts are usually crap. You know what to do with their posts.

Before I get too carried away with explanation, let me share some of the fundamental beliefs behind 67 Stations. These help guide the decisions we make.

  • Filtering of content is transparent and controlled by you. No secret algorithms.
  • No likes or shares. Only comments. Like a conversation.

What we are and aren't trying to do

You deserve some clarity on what we aren't trying to accomplish here, lest you and everyone else imagine all the things you hate about social media or the internet and then feel let down when we don't do it all.

  • We are not the place for privacy. We are a social media site. We do not offer end-to-end encryption. Our goal is to only show your content to people you approve of, but this is still the internet. Don't post anything here you wouldn't want the world to see.
  • We are not the place for anonymity. We require a valid email address to sign up.
  • We are not a political alternative where you are affirmed and the other side is pilloried. We have no algorithms to show you content you agree with or disagree with. We are dedicated to keeping artificial influence out of your discussions by keeping unsolicited content from your feed., If you want a political bubble, create one. If you want to engage in debate, make it happen.
  • While we are against censoring ideas, this isn't the wild west. You cannot harass people. You cannot share illegal content. We will work with law enforcement if you use this site to break laws.
  • We are not trying to be the next Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok, or Instagram. Content cannot go viral here, so you will probably want to use those other sites. Algorithms are not all bad. Viral content is not all bad.
  • We are not trying to be the next Patreon. We don't charge for access to content. We don't take a cut of your earnings. We don't have a way for you to earn money from your content.
  • We are not trying to be the next YouTube. We don't host videos. We don't have a way for you to earn money from your content.