Rachel Haywire

Aug 1, 2023

Who is going to be online in 2027? Less than 15% of the population.

Remember the early days of the internet, when it served as a secret corner for all sorts of freaks and outsiders with niche interests to unite? People from small towns could connect with like-minded individuals across the globe, overcoming geographical barriers and finding solace in a sense of community. People in big cities could start companies from their basements and get venture funding as long as they understood how the internet worked. You didn’t need a degree and you didn’t need a sponsor. You just needed to be interesting.

Wake up. The world that once welcomed outsiders and eccentrics is gone. We’ll spend the next few years reminiscing about it with nostalgia, never quite capturing the same feeling. Offline is the new online, and we’re currently at the beginning of a drastic shift in the way we socialize. By 2027, less than 15% of the population will actively participate in the digital world, unless it’s for work. What Sam Kriss says about the internet already being over is accurate. Social media will lose its relevance for the large majority of us, and I’m gonna have to, (if you can excuse my phrasing) unpack this for a moment.

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