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Everything has gone to...
In January 2023, @pluralistic used the term "enshittification" on his blog, pluralistic.net, to describe the deterioration process of the TikTok network.
Enshittification consists of four stages:
1. Platforms are good for users
2. Platforms abuse users to be good for business customers
3. Platforms abuse business customers to keep all the profit
4. Platforms die
🧵
#socialmedia #platforms #fediverse #activitypub #google #amazon #microsoft #enshittification
Very quickly, the entire internet exploded, because it was clear to everyone that Doctorow wasn't just talking about TikTok, but about the internet as a whole.
From Amazon, Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Microsoft's ecosystem, and even Apple (they're not as good as their propaganda tries to convince you), all these companies and their products are going through or have entered the terminal phase of "enshittification."
You know exactly what this is about:
Amazon, which doesn't let you read books you purchased on another device. Instagram, which only shows ads, even though it still advertises itself as a place for "connecting friends."
Google, whose search system is today (deliberately) configured so you don't immediately find what you're looking for. Facebook has made your small business "page" basically unusable unless you throw wads of cash at the screen.
In his new book, Doctorow dissects the phenomenon of enshittification and emphasizes potential solutions. Varoufakis's "Technofeudalism," Shoshana Zuboff's "Surveillance Capitalism," and this title are no longer a matter of reading choice today, but basic digital literacy.
Technology should serve you, not the other way around. Educate yourself!
In case you understand Bosnian (Croatian, Serbian...), I write about stuff like this monthly at https://buddhaletina.beehiiv.com/subscribe
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