AI Downtime as Digital Disruption: A Netnography of User Responses to the 2024 ChatGPT Outage
Authors/Creators
- 1. Independent Researcher
- 2. Self-funded independent research
-
3.
West Visayas State University
Description
This manuscript is a preprint / working paper and has not undergone journal peer review. It may be revised before formal publication. The working paper examines the December 2024 global ChatGPT outage as a natural experiment for understanding human reliance on artificial intelligence. Using a netnographic case analysis of Reddit discussions, it explores user responses when a widely adopted AI tool suddenly became unavailable. Drawing on attachment theory, the technology acceptance model, and cognitive load theory, the study shows that AI dependency is multidimensional and cyclical, shaped by overlapping emotional attachment, functional reliance, and cognitive adaptation. User responses included frustration, humor, anxiety, and coping strategies, highlighting AI downtime as both a technical disruption and a socio-psychological event. The paper contributes to research on human–technology interaction, digital resilience, and ethical AI system design.
Other
Keywords: AI dependency, AI downtime; netnography; human–technology interaction; digital resilience; natural experiment
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AI_Downtime_Digital_Disruption_Becodo_v1.pdf
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Additional details
Dates
- Created
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2026-04-02
Software
- Development Status
- Active
References
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