Dead Internet Theory: Bots, Synthetic Crowds and the Replacement Claim
An online replacement story grew around a 2021 forum thread, while later research documented something more specific: bots amplifying low-credibility news and automated requests taking a large share of measured web traffic. This account follows the gap between synthetic engagement and the claim that a hidden operation displaced human users, separating traffic statistics from people, accounts and opinions. The machines are measurable; the completed takeover is not established.