We've turned to the forests for centuries to explain ourselves. Sometimes a place of nostalgia (Wordsworth's Tintern Abbey), of estrangement (Dante's selva oscura), of refuge (Robin Hood's Sherwood), this natural metaphor repeatedly finds new life.1
Our present century brought the massive expansion of the internet, for better or worse. In order to grapple with its prominence, people have, unsurprisingly, looked to the trees for understanding.
The dark forest theory
Perhaps in the early years, the online world grew organically from individual gardens and seedlings into a forest with enough light, variety and space to enjoy a walk in the woods.
People tended to their plants and trees with care and sincerity. They placed personal interests and hobbies out there and people began to find unexpected community. Though there was always sketchy activity, these dangerous trails were easier to avoid.
Soon after the people, however, came the money. It was clever. It was voracious. And it has devoured us. Nowadays, to move through the open internet is to be monetized or scammed.
There's a rot in this aging forest, parasitic growth choking the trees, threats lurking. The trails are overgrown, full of sticker weeds, thieves, traps and poisonous vines. We've entered the darkest age of Mirkwood.
This transformation is at the core of Yancey Strickler's Dark Forest Theory of the internet.2 The invasion of ads, data collection, dark patterns, harassment, negativity-driven engagement and bad actors has become so overwhelming that we don't even want to make a sound, lest we draw public, destructive attention to ourselves.
It's no wonder we've retreated underground to more private spaces, to Venkatesh Rao's cozy web (messaging apps, Discord, Slack, email, etc.).
Extending the metaphor
Maggie Appleton builds on this theory by describing how generative algorithmic content may send the digital world into utter chaos. We now have Rogue Johnny Appleseed and his many clones planting a practical infinity of LLM-driven, derivative trees.
The forest was already vast and darkening. Now it will likely become even more immense and treacherous. If a core purpose of going online is to connect with other humans, that's about to become much more difficult.
In response, it's tempting to fully disconnect or abandon the online world. I think this will / should happen to some degree and doing so will probably benefit many people (e.g. by eliminating doomscrolling, etc.).
If you want to trade metaphorical trees for natural trees, you'll find no argument here. I cherish every visit to the forest and every climb into the canopy. I know how it heals and refreshes me.
What's at stake
If you want to stay online in any capacity, I believe cultivating a human-centric online experience is essential. There are many possible solutions that Maggie provides to help us navigate this new reality and prove our humanity online (reverse Turing test).
I especially like her recommendations to be as original as possible and to play with unique language/expression. Though I know these aren't strict safeguards, I find a lot of promise there.
It'll be tricky, but if we unknowingly lose ourselves in a thicket of LLMs, I'd find that rather tragic.
I care about the triumphs, ramblings, learnings and misadventures of humanity, not the muddled, plagiarized, probabilistic output of algorithms.
Genuine human intelligence
The ongoing transformation is partly why I've started this website and why I'm writing a little. I've been a huge beneficiary of all types of human-produced content both online and offline. I've learned countless things from people and their blogs / courses / code, but I've mostly been a passive consumer.
Maybe now, disappointed by the coming changes, I want to actively contribute to a humanist vision of the internet. LLMs and other types of algorithms / statistics can and will play an enormous part in our future.
I just don't want these tools to obscure our reality or distract us from original human thought and experience. I want to participate in a public exchange of ideas, and help maintain a network of genuine human intelligence.
Reviving the forest
People often say “you don't want to miss the forest for the trees.” In other words, don't get so caught up in the details that you lose track of the big picture. In this case, the big picture is a bit of a mess. But it can be cleaned up.
I believe this online moment requires immense focus on the trees, one-by-one, in order to salvage the forest. We can make a home again in the woods. It'll take a sort of inversion, a fresh return to the nostalgic roots of the internet.
This is the start of my contribution to that endeavor, a hope to create lively new growth. And to connect with others trying to do the same.
References
Forests: The Shadow of Civilization by Robert Pogue Harrison - a review of the forest as metaphor in Western thought
I found out about these ideas through Maggie Appleton's awesome website - she's a big advocate of creating your own online garden, and I gotta say, it's been fun starting one up