The shallow web vs. the deep self

How the internet and AI divide the world into passive consumers, and active builders

The AI-slop propagators

We're spending more time online, that’s not breaking news.

It is not only a translation of interactions from the real to the screens, it's also a fundamental change in the way we interact because any voice online is fighting against digital noise. More importantly, it's a fundamental change in the value scale from the inner scorecard to the outer scorecard.

Do I enjoy the act of writing or analyzing stocks in itself, or do I simply love being recognized as a writer, a financial analyst, or just a smart person in general?

That is the difference between inner-scorecard, and outer-scorecard. One is authentic, genuine, and loves the pursuit, the other ones looks for shortcuts that do no exist and care about external validation. The outer scorecard often leads to addictive behavior. Its a short-term approach, relying on non-committal praise (usually in the form of likes) and is quite dangerous because it creates the illusion of genuine interest on the other side, when there is none.

There is no interest because there’s no skin-in-the-game, no commitment. It costs nothing. That's the difference between attention and admiration, between praise, respect, and just being seen. As we spend more time online, there’s a silent division taking place. Social media separated the world into two clusters and it's all about the use of technology.

Do you use social media to create an audience or do you use it to scam audiences and make yourself feel better? The division is between passive and active users of technology. Passive users compulsively posts their life and care about what other passive users would like to see when they're scrolling down, to give you a non-committed like and post non-committed actions.

They typically share acts of straight-up consumption. Shallow posts with the end objectives. That’s the norm. The epitome? The pyramidal scam. A Lamborghini. A trading screen. A chart spiking. It’s all curated. It’s what success is supposed to look like.

But if you look closer, it’s always far from reality.

These scammy, passive users don’t aim to be better. They aim to look better. Wiser, richer, happier, at least on screen. They imitate the aesthetic of achievement, not the substance. And in doing so, they drift further from the real thing. Ironically, they’re often despised by the very group they’re trying to impress. The insiders know. They can smell the fraud.

Because that’s what they are : Frauds. Not always malicious, but definitely shallow. Addicted to social media, clinging to auto-proclaimed, untestable skills. They rebrand themselves as life coaches. Sell nutritional shortcuts. Pitch esoteric methods to live a “good life.”

They skip the journey. Always.

The passive creator don’t build. They consume, then post. They go straight to the end result: “Be happy. Be rich. Be beautiful.” They are what make the internet feel sloppy. Fast. Shallow. And without realizing it, they’re not just consuming AI slop.

They’re becoming it.

They are, in this sense, extremely vulnerable to AI replacement and to AI slop whatsoever because they have no critical mind and usually have very short-term thinking.

The genuine creators

On the other side, you have the active users. They are the ones who use tech to go slower, which is a paradox. Usually, they avoid end results, pretending, and straight-up consumption. Also, they privilege the journey, the genuine human choice, and avoid straight-up consumption in their content to actually privilege a creative act.