The "Enshitification" of the Internet and Social Media
Details
"Enshittification", a term coined by author Cory Doctorow, describes the systematic decline in quality of online platforms as they evolve from benefiting users to exploiting them for profit, moving through stages: first good for users, then for business customers, and finally extracting maximum value from both, leading to worse experiences (like more ads, subscriptions, and data extraction) and less genuine utility, seen in services from social media to streaming to search engines.
Examples
- Social Media: Once community-focused, now driven by engagement algorithms and monetization.
- Search Engines (Google): Once simple, now filled with ads and sponsored content, pushing down organic results.
- Streaming Services (Netflix): Added ads, password-sharing crackdowns, and higher prices after gaining subscribers.
- Rideshare/Delivery (Uber, Airbnb): Undercut competition, then raised prices/fees for drivers and riders.
Why it Happens
- Capitalism & Monopolies: The drive for shareholder profit and monopolistic control pushes companies to exploit their dominant positions.
- Lack of Regulation: Insufficient oversight allows these exploitative practices to flourish.
- Network Effects: Users get locked in, making it hard to leave even as quality declines.
So what can we possibly do about this? Doctorow offers more prosocial design principles for newer apps and internet infrastructure and also provides recommendations for governmental oversight and regulation of the tech industry. How do you think we should deal with this and develop a better internet that improves people's lives and leads to happier and healthier outcomes?
Cory Doctorow talks about the concept on this podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1EKQidRooc&t=6330s&pp=ygUPZW5zaGl0aWZpY2F0aW9u
The Enshitification book is available here https://www.abebooks.com/Enshittification-Doctorow-Cory-Verso-Books/32336172908/bd
The audiobook is available here https://audiobookstore.com/audiobooks/enshittification