A lot of the web is being swept away. In May, Google overhauled its iconic search box for the first time since 2001, signaling its all-in on the “intelligence age.” As chatbots hallucinate and hide their sources, search results become harder to browse, and digital life becomes ever more atomized, online access to information looks more imperiled than ever. Wikipedia has managed to survive—a miraculous exception that proves the rule—but it’s staring down new threats. Boston Review has been online since 1995, but our search engine traffic is falling, like everyone else’s. If work is published on the net and no one can navigate to it, does it leave a trace?
https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/what-was-the-internet/