Tag: enshittification
#oneaday Day 757: Nothing works any more
One of the most common refrains of people who discuss the topic of enshittification is that so much stuff related to tech just flat-out doesn't work any more, and no-one seems in any great hurry to fix it -- particularly when all the actually knowledgeable engineers have been replaced with "vibe-coding" cunts. Photo by Beyzanur...
Enshittification
Explaining the process of the “enshittification” of digital platforms over time and what to do about it. Cory Doctorow's Enshittification takes a witty yet incisive look at the tech landscape, where platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Google start off great—before they inevitably turn terrible. In this contemporary moment of digital decline, Doctorow explores how tech giants lure users in with convenience and then degrade their services over time, squeezing profit at the cost of user experience. With a mix of sharp humor and deep insight, he unveils the slow creep of "enshittification," turning the online world into a worse place, one algorithm at a time.
AI browsers are straight out of the enshittification playbook
Enshittification isn't cliché, it's simply pervasive. Browsers being launched by AI companies will, undoubtedly, follow the same playbook we've seen over and over again.
Curate your own newspaper with RSS
"In a media landscape dominated by algorithmic feeds that aim to manipulate and extract, sometimes the most radical thing you can do is choose to read what you want, when you want, without anyone watching over your shoulder." Molly White has been using RSS for over a decade and would like you to join her...
Delta’s AI-based price-gouging
"It's a scam. AI agents aren't going to replace human labor. The only way we'll replace human labor with software agents is by redesigning all these heterogeneous, competing systems owned by people who benefit from the status quo and have every motivation to obstruct this project. Good luck with that." Cory Doctorow reviews the ways...
When we get komooted
"Digital enclosure is the continuation of the physical enclosure of land. This sophisticated form of digital extraction is so common that it’s almost unremarkable. But there’s a wrenching contradiction here between Komoot’s stated mission of 'enabling access' to public land while privatizing and exclusively profiting from those very movements. They take our most meaningful encounters...
Everything Becomes Growth Hacking
If your platform is being exploited by growth hackers, you need to moderate it, or you threaten its long-term health, reputation, and survival. It’s not easy—because growth hacking always finds a way.
The Value Of A Promise
When you hear a company like Substack or Canva make a promise, you may get pretty cynical that they’re going to keep it. Honestly, I get that.