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if you want to understand why the internet is what it is just google "enshittification". while you still can
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this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2023
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I understand the fatigue of the buzzword especially as people use more as a general critique of capitalism. But it is a very real phenomenon. Subscription costs go up, functionality gets worse, and usability takes a back seat as competition decreases
Part of that is the trade-off that society accepted for a long time by using the popular services for free or at a steep discount. The end result of a free lunch is always “enshittification”.
On the opposite side of it, we are all here because there is competition; the fediverse. Everyone I know are tired of big tech/social media and are deleting their accounts. The old web is shrinking. Eventually the fediverse will grow to take its place. We are already seeing it happen for tech users, it will happen for normal users eventually
You hit the nail on the head with why I hate the term. It's meaningless
It's always used to describe the "old" when a new thing shows up. Regardless of the history of the "old"
These statements contradict each other.
I’m glad we are on the same page as far as “enshittification” goes l. Although I’m curious what you think is the contradiction between my last two paragraphs are. I did say that mainstream social media has become enshittified because of competition decreasing, and then said that the fediverse was competition.
But I was hoping that would be understood as the competition between the for profit platforms. As X/Twitter or Facebook gained critical mass and its competitors like Google+/Myspace/LiveJournal/tumblr went away or greatly were diminished then it had to start making a profit and the profit was everything people complain about when they say it’s enshittified.
Mastadon/Firefish/Fediverse-at-large won’t be enshittified because they aren’t free as in free lunch. If the fediverse reaches critical mass, there is no profit motive because the costs are distributed and users either contribute or mooch. Instance admins can project their costs and open/close signups accordingly.