Enshittification- Why is the internet turning into a huge pile of shit?

“It’s not just you. The internet is getting worse, fast. The services we rely on, that we once loved? They’re all turning into piles of shit, all at once. Worse, the digital is merging with the physical, which means that the same forces that are wrecking our platforms are also wrecking our homes and our cars, the places where we work and shop. The world is increasingly made up of computers we put our bodies into, and computers we put into our bodies. And those computers suck. This is infuriating. It’s frustrating. And, depending on how important these services are to you, it’s terrifying…”

- Cory Doctorow, Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It

I read two books this winter that made a big impact on me. The first was Cory Doctorow's book on Enshittification. He made up this word to explain the phenomenon of why corporate America seems to be providing worse and worse service the more they think we are hooked on their products. The big four, nicknamed FANG (Facebook, Apple, Netflix, and Google) have become behemoths in our culture and true monopolies in their field. When they first started out and were small, they were customer-focused. But now that they think we have nowhere else to go, they try to squeeze more money out of us every chance they get.

This enshittification process is not exactly new. One can see it in the dating process where partners go out of their way to be nice and attractive while courting, only to cut back and expose abusive behaviors after a marriage is set in stone. It can be seen in the world of politics, where politicians are nice to us and make plenty of promises during their initial campaigns, but once safely entrenched in office, they become inaccessible to everyone but their biggest donors. Now we are seeing it in a large scale with monopolies that control much of our lives.

Doctorow states that after they think we are hooked, corporations first go after the customers, raising prices, lowering quality, and hitting us with endless advertising. Facebook, once a great place to catch up with friends and family, has devolved into a rage-baiting, ad-filled, AI slop of promoted posts and garbage with just enough good stuff to keep us hooked. After that, they go after the creators and suppliers, making their ability to make a living much harder. Tech companies that were threatened by competitors simply bought them out. Apple and Amazon charge high fees for outside businesses, while trying to scoop up the customers for themselves. Even services like Uber now use AI to manipulate their driver compensation to as low as it can go and still provide ride-sharing services.

“First, platforms are good to their users. Then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers. Next, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves. Finally, they have become a giant pile of shit.” Cory Doctorow

Once the suppliers and customers are locked in, the entire enterprise turns into a pile of shit, with the big tech companies reaping the rewards of their monopolistic behavior. The thought of leaving your Facebook friends or going back to the mall instead of Amazon seems too hard for most of us, and we gradually give up and accept shitty services because what other choices do we have?

Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk have weaponized their algorithms to keep people hooked with a combination of rage-bait and friend activity, meanwhile selling more and more advertising. Though X and Facebook remain free to use, their users remain the product, and now nearly 80% of advertising money goes into digital, laser-focused ads instead of broadcast tv, radio, or print media.

“Amazon makes 38 billion every year charging merchants for search placement. On average, the first result in an Amazon search is 29 percent more expensive than the best result for your search. Click any of the top four links on the top of your screen, and you'll pay an average of 25 percent more than you would for your best match. On average, that best match is located seventeen places down in an Amazon search result.” Corey Doctorow

The shit virus has even affected companies renowned for their strong customer focus. The Walt Disney company has declined in value according to many. Their movies are lacking imagination, with remakes and sequels dominating many of their offerings. The ever-popular theme parks have become too expensive for many middle-class visitors, as the company caters more and more to its wealthiest visitors. Disney! The gold standard of customer service is slowly devolving into shittiness, unless you are one of the lucky ones that can afford private tours or Lightning Lanes.

"Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it, they will want to come back and see you do it again" Walt Disney

Walt would not be happy at how things are going these days.

So what can be done about this shitty process? It would be nice if consumers would vote with their feet and desert the monopolists for hungrier competitors. But that isn't happening yet. Doctorow's prescription includes government intervention- something not too likely in today's environment but perhaps that can change. Anti-trust legislation and more regulation of Big Tech could help break up and tame the monopolies, but they would face fierce resistance.

Increased labor union participation would also help balance out the equation, especially in the tech sector- one with few if any guardrails and a huge incentive to use AI to replace most of their employees.

We deserve better than shitty service. Expect more for your dollars and reward those who treat workers and customers the way we all would like to be treated.

The second book I read this winter, Fans First by Savannah Bananas founder Jesse Cole was a breath of fresh air compared to this depressing book. That will be the subject of my next blog post.