The Dead Internet Theory is a creepypasta-turned-conspiracy theory suggesting that the vast majority of internet traffic, content, and social media interactions are now generated by AI and bots rather than humans. While it originated in niche imageboards around the late 2010s, the theory gained massive mainstream popularity in 2023 and 2024 as AI-generated 'slop'—like the infamous Shrimp Jesus or uncanny Facebook 'Amen' posts—began to dominate social feeds. The meme is typically used to mock the repetitive nature of social media algorithms, the eerie perfection of AI art, and the feeling of digital isolation in an era where everyone you argue with online might just be a script.