the 'dead internet' thing has a real birthplace and it's a tiny vaporwave-y forum

people throw 'dead internet theory' around now like it's ancient wisdom, but it has an actual origin. 2021, a user called IlluminatiPirate posts a thread titled 'Dead Internet Theory: Most Of The Internet Is Fake' on Agora Road's Macintosh Cafe board — yeah that little esoteric/vaporwave aesthetic f……