writing among the bots
There is a statistic I learned that justifies me indulgently writing about my journey
For the first time in a decade, automated traffic has surpassed human activity, accounting for 51% of all web traffic.* I discovered this on an interview with a singer and podcaster, both so successful that they do not need naming.
Okay it was Joe Rogan, and Bono promoting his book, but I feel that writing their names down here is incongruous with my work, so I will relate it to scent. For me Live Aid, 1985, that era of Yves St Laurent Kourous or Guy Laroche’s Drakkar Noir, was peak Bono.
There are two types of people in this world. There are people who are fans of Bono, and then there are people who have never got over that Apple airdrop.
Everyone seems to like Joe Rogan.
My conclusion I am coming to as I get wiser is that if you want to be liked by everyone then be an outwardly non-judgemental listener like Joe. There’s a direct correlation between the amount you talk and outwardly judge, and the narrowing percentage of people who like you. But we shouldn’t admonish those that are doing the output either. Anyone openly sharing their intimate human experience among so many bots, or taking the time to intentionally create, is a diamond in the digital dust.
I am self aware enough to realise this whole experience of me writing about my evolving learning journey here on the internet with you, is admittedly a bit weird. I started playing around with DeuxPies at a time when life was quite serious and the writing was useful. I know I could write about tales more interesting and complex, of more sordid morsels that ache to be written. Because the stories that shouldn’t be told are often the best.
Instead I let the days unfurl and I keep moving with as quiet footsteps as I can. I am getting comfortable with not being quite sure of the destination. It’s a fuzzy vision from a few rounds of shedding some skin, and I experiment in talking about the journey towards making it clearer. Too boring for the bots. More boring than Bono.
But interesting things have been slowly evolving, and this week there was a shift. I have spoken of my sister who is a perfumer in New Zealand. We have exploded with a plan and have been taking calls at oppositional hours from our respective time zones.
“Wait, can I call you back I just have to put the kids to sleep.”
“I can’t talk now I have to start work.”
Ping goes the WhatsApp with another recipe or idea, all naturally falling into the realms of fragrance, beauty, plants and healing.
Suddenly DeuxPies seems like the right name in a new way. We seek to create connected objects that bring comfort and alchemic energy through fragrance, healing and form and not take ourselves too seriously.
So paid subscribers thank you! You are now contributing to purchases of oris root, oils exotic spices and other ingredients. Trying to source takes time around work and buying Rose de Mai oil is like purchasing flakes of gold but your contribution not only helps towards that, it is psychologically comforting and will be rewarded. And honestly thank you to everyone reading this and being part of it as it makes me feel like I have humans around me and not bots.
Because, as the bots grow, the more precious our own stories and participation will become. We musn’t be afraid to tell our stories, no matter how insignificant they might seem. Join the bot resistance. Every leaf and petal has a tale to tell.
According to Imperva's 2025 Bad Bot Report: over 50% of all internet traffic in 2025 was not from real people.