Dead internet theory, but for Gemini?

I just popped back into Gemini after briefly investigating it about a year ago. A whole bunch of links, bookmarks, and lists of useful resources now seem to point to a dead link. I can feel the frustration mounting every time this happens and I question whether Gemini will be worthwhile if all the pages that help you find cool stuff are dead. Like islands in an ocean with no boats. Thank God Bubble is still around.

Dec 15 · 4 days ago · 👍 curry

7 Comments ↓

Things are changing and it's okay. If you like some certain content you can back it up, there's also Delorean which is great piece of gemini.

I've thought about this issue for a while, and particularly what it means in Geminispace. On the one hand, because Gemini is a slower place than the Web, I find that I almost have an expectation that links will work and endpoints will remain alive for longer. On the other hand, Gemini is still a space that primarily attracts hobbyists and experimenters, and that class of users will often build endpoints, tear them down, then build new ones, causing links to expire quickly.

I don't think it's a matter of Gemini being "dead," in the same way people use that word to describe the Web. That usage implies the majority of content comes from automated sources like AI or soulless sources like marketing, and meaningful human interaction is sorely lacking. Gemini is almost purely human interaction, but in a peculiar way, it seems to lack the kind of (relative) permanence the Web has.

There is a certain level of ephemerality to Gemini and the wider small web. People come and go, servers spin up and then fade into the void. When you embrace this, each discovery feels more precious.

I would call this an inherent property of Gemini, it being powered mostly by passion instead of money and attention-grabbing schemes.

The early Internet was always like that. You never knew how long a link would be around. People would totally reorganize the directory and break all the inbound links.

Also dead internet is less about broken links than all content not being made by living people. I don’t think we are approaching a majority bot-generated gemini experience yet.

@skyjake I suppose so, but it doesn't necessarily feel like a passion project when I have to try 3 different search engines before I find one that works, or when something like medusae.space (which IIRC was a list of useful links to other capsules) has disappeared. My own Gemini Client (Rosy Crow) has a landing page when I open it with several dead links.

I mean, that's what "ephemeral" means. If you leave, then come back, a lot of the stuff that was there when you left will be gone. Once you figure out where the new stuff is that you like, then you can enjoy that. It's a continuing exploration, an experience which I enjoy.

I'm happy we have what we have and for the folks that work in their spare time to make it what it is.