Enshitification

Originally coined by Corey Doctorow. It’s the downward spiral of the lock-in phenomenon: users simultaneously hate the product they can’t seem to quit. Meanwhile, the platform is incentivized to make money by any means necessary. Hate speech. Violence. Seeking the attention of kids. Manipulation. A race to the bottom for your attention.

Lock-in makes switching costly—in time, money, and emotional capacity. It’s hard to say goodbye.

We have ti accept, the internet is not what it used to be. We think we don’t pay for products like Instagram or Facebook. But we pay with our lives as our communities collapse.

With the rise of AI, when will these platforms become untenable? The answer is actually yesterday. Perhaps, you can’t just quit it yet. But at the very least, try de-shitting your phone if you haven’t yet. Turn off notifications. Delete the apps that mine your attention. Take back your life.

HT Ezra Klein, Cory Doctorow, and Tim Wu.