Dead Internet Theory Just Got Real: GameRant Writer Likely Doesn’t Actually Exist...

ChatGPT estimates with 90–95% certainty that this GameRant article was written entirely by AI. 

After digging into the "author" behind it, things get... even creepier. The piece is credited to Mahjbeen Zafar (@Mahjbeen1711752), but trying to verify whether she’s a real person is like chasing a ghost. I can't find anything on her. No LinkedIn. No past history of writing... Nothing.

Now that's not necessarily a smoking gun, but when you dive into "her" "responses" on X and comment sections of her own article... things may strike one as... a tad... robotic. Where this one goes, you're not gonna believe!

First off, her article. I smelled some serious automated writing here, and well... look for yourself:

I was intrigued. First, I went to her main profile on GameRant, which gave out her official X account... Which, well... Looks pretty sus if you ask me:

Pro games journo on X as of Feb 2025... Has 2 followers. Yeah... Ok.

Her responses on X are robotic to the point of absurdity, repeating quotes, asking AI assistants (like Grok) basic questions no actual games journalist would ever post publicly.

Things like “Where’s the official Mortal Kombat 1 account?” Like... Seriously, ask yourself... What seasoned writer working in games journalism covering AAA titles asks that publicly?

To add to the suspicion, her account was created in February 2025 - just four months ago as of this writing, which is coincidentally around the same time a wave of major journalist layoffs hit the gaming industry.

Google Reverse Image Search brings up nothing.

Her posts give me the vibes of a tone of someone trying to cosplay as a “journalist” rather than ...actually being one, raising legitimate concerns that we’re looking at yet another AI sockpuppet in the growing graveyard of the dead internet theory.

The Fake Writer Theory

As friend of the channel Hypnotic put it bluntly on X:

“I think these websites are making fake accounts to give the perception of ‘staffing’ but it’s really just a fake account putting out AI articles and being overseen by 1–2 people. That would explain the no social media presence and the fact that they joined in Feb. of this year which was around the time there were so many journalist layoffs. Never know.”

It’s a theory here that unfortunately once again... makes too much sense. These sites want to look alive, without paying for the people to work on it, so they create digital corpses. Empty bios. AI-generated content. “Writers” with no history, no human touch, and no credibility outside the echo chamber of SEO-optimized sludge... Could she be real? Of course, but then I'd argue... That's even worse. Using ChatGPT to write entire articles? Professionally? I mean, come on. At least edit it a bit and make it look like you tried.

ChatGPT Weighs In

When asked to analyze the article in question, ChatGPT flagged it with 90–95% certainty as AI-generated, citing:

• Redundant phrasing ("Many are excited… many shared…")

• Lack of sourcing or personality

• Overly clean and robotic structure

• Zero unique insights

Combine all of this with a 'ghostwriter' that as of right now, no one can verify exists, and we’re all once again staring down the barrel of Dead Internet Theory in action.

Is the Internet Even Real Anymore?

The whole Dead Internet Theory suggests most of the web is just filled with fake people posting fake content automatically read by bots, commented on by algorithms, and boosted by corporate AIs. Sound far-fetched? Maybe. But have a look at her own response in her own article:

When an article is likely written by AI, published under a name that may not be real, and propped up by an account created just months ago with zero credibility, it’s hard to argue against it. And again, even if she ends up being real, I would argue that's even scarier. An actual human, is this stupid, and yet lands themselves a gig in official games journalism? Ok you know what, maybe it's actually not that crazy after all...

Just for shits and giggles I checked on another article (above) from "her", and yup, you guessed it. Same result:

Looks like, ladies, gents, and dead robots reading this on the internet... that we have established a pattern!

The soul of the internet, the human voice itself - and any individuality as we know it... is dying. And in its place, we’re getting a cold, synthetic simulation of life online.

GameRant has some SERIOUS explaining to do here.

~Smash