AI Downtime as Digital Disruption: A Netnography of User Responses to the 2024 ChatGPT Outage
Key Points
The research aims to understand user responses to the December 2024 ChatGPT outage and explores the multi-dimensional aspects of AI dependence.
Conducted a netnographic analysis of Reddit discussions related to the ChatGPT outage.
Examined emotional, functional, and cognitive responses from users during the outage.
Identified AI downtime as a significant technical disruption.
Highlighted the emotional and psychological impact of AI reliance on users.
Abstract
This manuscript is a preprint that has not undergone peer review. It may be revised prior to formal publication. The study analyzes the December 2024 global ChatGPT outage as a case for examining human reliance on generative AI. Drawing on a netnographic analysis of Reddit discussions, it argues that AI dependency is multidimensional, encompassing emotional, functional, and cognitive dimensions. The findings highlight AI downtime as both a technical disruption and a socio-psychological event.