Source: Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends
The collapse of organic search results into SEO spam and AI slop has made pre-trip research actively useless. Guides rank by monetization rather than accuracy, Reddit threads are now bot-infested, and AI aggregators hallucinate specifics with conviction. Consumer behavior has shifted toward either paying for premium guides (Wirecutter, Michelin) or reverting to analog trust networks (asking friends directly, hiring local guides in-person). The vacuum being filled isn't better technology but a return to personal recommendation as a scarce, non-commodifiable asset.