A Billion Little Gardens

It’s no secret that our attention runs the economy. Engagement farming on social media isn’t some big idea you hear about in the news, but a common occurrence you see the second you open X, Instagram, or TikTok.

A recent study found that about 20% of posts (the “chatter”) around global events on X came from bots. One in five. And the language bots use is built for amplification, not conversation. Scientific Reports, 2025

The public dialogue on big platforms is buckling under mass AI content and engagement farming prioritised by algorithms none of us control. No wonder culture is drifting to smaller, more intimate spaces such as WhatsApp, Discord and Patreon to find connection.

In a world where authentic, sovereign, human‑centred values are hard to come by, these small communities are sacred.

Traditional creators and experts have already made the switch, moving from public feeds to close‑knit communities. This isn’t the death of the internet. It’s the growth of something new. Or as James O’Sullivan puts it, “a billion little gardens.” Noema, Sep 2, 2025

Social media has stopped being social

Social media started as an easy way to connect with what matters. Keep up with old friends. Share baby photos. Connect quickly.

As it grew, so did the noise. With the advent of AI, the onslaught of low‑quality images, stitched clips, and spam has accelerated, all built to capture attention and push users toward easy money schemes.

You’ve seen it: faceless movie clips, copy‑paste listicles, and content churned out like the model in this short explainer.

The good news is that people are getting tired of it. The internet is regenerating. We’re moving away from giant town halls and public forums toward real communities with foundations and interests.

We’re building what we were promised

Human‑centred, communal spaces where people share interests and ideas are slowly becoming the norm again. The onslaught of zombie AI content feels like a curse, but it’s also a wake‑up call. It pushed us to stop doomscrolling through attention economies and look around for real connection.

We’re choosing discourse over noise, belonging over performance.

Tools such as Pantegral and Substack have created rooms that feel closer to the early‑internet forums: places meant to connect, not perform.

Experts and creators are leading the way

Burnout from constant posting is real. Many experts and creators feel pressure to post multiple times a day just to keep up with the algorithm and the AI clones. That’s not craft. That’s a treadmill.

Smaller communities give them room to do their actual jobs, and breathe. They can also make more money with fewer followers. Substack reports roughly 5 million paid subscriptions as of spring 2025, which is proof that smaller, durable audiences can fund creators more sustainably than chasing feed views. Financial Times, Axios, Marketing Brew

This shift solves real issues:

• Connection: direct feedback loops replace empty metrics.
• Burnout: a humane cadence replaces daily panic.
• Preservation of knowledge: posts stop vanishing down the timeline and accrue into a living library.

The bigger picture

Public social still matters for visibility, news, and civic life. But incentives shape outcomes, and right now they lift what is synthetic over what is sincere. When a measurable share of fast‑moving chatter is generated by bots, it feels less like a conversation and more like a spectacle. The fix isn’t outrage. It’s routing around the noise and tending smaller spaces.

The future looks like a billion little gardens: kitchens, studios, clubs and classrooms growing side by side.