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[1] During the past two months, I’ve done a TON of gardening research. And I can’t escape the feeling that dozens of the sites that populate the first page of results (I use DDG, not Google) aren’t exactly maintained by humans.
Suspiciously similar “Master Gardener” profiles + site layouts, random bizarre advice mixed in w/ perfectly sensible advice + phrases that don’t seem to belong. I can’t give you any solid proof, but I’m having a difficult time trusting the written web word lately. #AI
Oregon Coast Trail @killyourfm@layer8.space[2] Which is why I now tend to stick to a few gardening channels on YouTube, run by humans I can see and gradually start to trust.
And I should emphasize that I used to have a STRONG distaste for relying on video content for anything — as a writer and former journalist, ALWAYS preferred the written word. But I’m changing. I wonder if the world is gradually changing with me.
[3] I’d like to believe this fake-content AI boom and the irritating anxiety that comes with a simple web search will usher in a return to journalism. To written words we rely on and trust.
But the shift to preferring video content has been happening for years. Which is unfortunate since by 2025 or 2026 it will be fast and simple to have entire channels hosted by believable AI facsimiles of real people.
I mean, earlier this year I deep-faked myself speaking Croatian and people bought it, so…
@killyourfm This breaks my heart, but I 1000% absolutely get it. Big tech is just letting the degradation of written journalism happen
@ernie You’re a beacon among that degradation, though. Thanks for all the great content you kick out.
@killyourfm I think the solution is for search engines is to go back to being more selective of what websites are included in the index.
I don’t know what that will look like, but figuring out a good way to determine if the content is written by a human is where I’d start.
@killyourfm it's awful how everything's video now, from gardening to coding tips to video game walkthroughs to recipes to hobbie discussions that used to be on forums... I hate it since I strongly prefer reading to watching videos... but I guess I must be a minority
@canrith6696 I get it! I felt that way once, and I still WANT to feel that way today. But my trust has eroded to the point where if I don’t personally know the person writing whatever that content is, I get suspicious.
@killyourfm I often search YouTube for answers because it’s far more likely the video is made by a human with real information.
@mike Heh, at least for now!
@killyourfm @mike Sora is already on the horizon. Once it's publicly available, expect that to change as well. 