The web is dead, what's next?
The article explores the decline of the open web, pointing to walled gardens, algorithmic feeds, and centralized platforms as its successors. It examines what may replace the traditional web, including decentralized protocols and AI-driven interfaces.
Background
- The "dead web" thesis argues that the open, linkable web of the 1990s–2000s has been replaced by a handful of walled gardens (TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn) where content is algorithmically served and can't be freely indexed or linked to in the traditional way.
- This shift means an increasing share of human communication and knowledge now lives inside apps and databases that are inaccessible to open-web search engines like Google or to independent archivists.
- The piece by Ash K. (likely an Australian tech writer) is part of a long-running debate: 2010s "web is dead" warnings by Chris Anderson, the rise of "enshittification" (Cory Doctorow's term for platform decay), and the more recent decline of Google Search quality.
- What the article explores is what comes after — if the old web model is gone, what new structures or protocols might replace it for publishing, identity, and community.