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The author of @allaboutberlin on how Google AI Overviews are killing independent web publishing, citing a 70% drop in traffic after seven years of steady growth. His work trains the model. The model is replacing his site. There is no credit, clicks, or revenue. This is what the "enshittification" of the open web looks like in practice.

Hard to imagine moving to Berlin without stumbling upon his guides at some point.

allaboutberlin.com/

linkedin.com/posts/nicolasboul…

#AI #OpenKnowledge #Berlin #Google #Enshittification #OpenWeb #IndieWeb

AI is killing All About Berlin. When you Googled something, you used to get a link to my website. Now you get an AI-generated answer trained on my work. This has a devastating impact on traffic… | Nicolas B. | 150 comments

AI is killing All About Berlin. When you Googled something, you used to get a link to my website. Now you get an AI-generated answer trained on my work. This has a devastating impact on traffic. It's hard to fund my work with 70% fewer visitors.
Nicolas B. (LinkedIn)
#google #Berlin #ai #indieweb #openweb #enshittification #openknowledge @All About Berlin
Tato položka byla upravena (čtvrtek 21. května 2026 15:51)
in reply to Schmaker

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loStronzoRocco

@schmaker I think it’s a combination of laziness and ignorance. It reminds me of the early days of the web (not the internet) where domain names were just bought up, because they thought (and the users did..) they’d just type an address to find what they wanted. Instead if people had to use search engines I think we’d have a different situation nowadays.
@Schmaker
in reply to Schmaker

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Viktoria D. Richards/Uddelhexe

@schmaker
Sad truth is ( or what i gathered by talking to ppl and trying to explain them stuff), most lazy average user do in fact not know that other search engines exist.

Since even the used term for internet sesrch is 'to google', this shitty company made it possible to push away information about the fact that others exist.

And when i tell people to use others, i get:" but it is so convenient to just read the summary.

@Schmaker
in reply to Schmaker

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Viktoria D. Richards/Uddelhexe

@schmaker
I' ve not used the google search engine for years and taught my boomer Mum about DDG and disabked the AI.

It still is frustrating trying to bring fir example colleques to change their behavior.
They are just lazy and don't give a fuck.

I recently had to remind them that i didn't want fotos with me in them Ai- changed and my face fed into those models.
It is like talking to a brick wall.

@Schmaker
in reply to Viktoria D. Richards/Uddelhexe

friendica (DFRN) - Link to source

Schmaker

It's not just the search engine though.

Have you ever tried to use Android phone without #Google account? Pain in the ass!

You do not agree with evil stuff they do? That's fine, you can. Until there some update comes who will switch the toggle to "opt out" instead of "opt in" :)

It's a rat race where only greedy corporate wins. The sooner we quit the better

#google
in reply to Schmaker

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Viktoria D. Richards/Uddelhexe

@schmaker
And when September comes, it will get even worse, with F-Droid and several apps not working anymore....and with banking and other importamt apps refusing t work with custom roms.

I will from then on have two phones.
One Custome Rom andnone Android one fir just the shit i need but doesen't work otherwise.

I hope so much that Linux Phones, Posh, the Nokia guys OS and so on get easier to use for average noops like myself.

@Schmaker
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