Did Everything Get Worse On Purpose?

The "Enshittification" of Daily Life

Remember when Google helped you find things instead of selling you things? When Airbnb was actually cheaper than hotels? When social media showed you posts from actual friends?

That pattern isn’t just about apps. It’s the same arc you see when jobs that once felt meaningful turn into burnout machines, when healthcare stops feeling like care and becomes a billing obstacle course, when dating turns people into swipe able inventory, when “community” turns into a backdrop for content and sales.

Canadian writer Cory Doctorow, who coined the term Enshittification in 2022, uses it for this cycle: systems start by giving most of the value to users, then shift that value to business customers, and finally strip-mine both sides just to maximize short-term profit. What begins as something that serves you quietly becomes a machine for harvesting you.

This night isn’t just “tech criticism.” It’s about how that same logic has crept into our time, attention, relationships, neighborhoods, and sense of meaning. If Enshittification is the story of how things get worse on purpose, the live question is: Where is it happening in our own lives—and what would it take to stop feeding it?

Some of our potential prompts and questions for the night:

1. How has enshittification changed our expectations of relationships, creativity, and even politics?

2. How much of your digital life is based on “I hate this, but everyone is here”?

3. Where have you contributed to enshittification—by staying, complying, looking away, or choosing convenience over integrity—and what would “de-enshitifying” your own life actually look like?

4. What’s one part of your life you refuse to let be fully enshittified? (Attention, friendships, relationships, creativity, body, etc.)

5. What’s a “micro-resistance” you already practice? (Ad blockers, turning off notifications, using cash, analog tools, local communities, etc.) What are we actually willing to sacrifice to stop participating in our own extraction?

6. Is Enshitification just “late-stage capitalism”? Or is it also something about human laziness, FOMO, and addiction?

As usual, the goal of the night isn’t simply to agree, disagree, or learn. It’s also to connect through genuine, lively, interactive discussion and, potentially, to go to some of the unexpected and uncharted places that deep and free conversation can take us.

When we wrap up, around 8 p.m., we hope you’ll mingle, exchange numbers, and head out with some of us for something to eat or drink. As polarized as the world is right now, one of the deepest connections still available to human beings is a shared meal or drink.

Whether you’re in Chiang Mai for a short visit or you’re a longer term expat or resident, we hope you can join us, not only in exploring the deeper questions but in making new connections and friendships through the discussions.

If possible, please support the venue, 4seas, by purchasing a beverage or a snack. They are kindly providing the space to us at no charge.

We all look forward to meeting you!