Enshittification

Introduction: How Digital Platforms Decay

Digital services are rapidly declining in quality, affecting everything from websites to cars. Cory Doctorow calls this systematic decay "enshittification," a process where platforms stop serving users and start exploiting them. This is not an accident; it is the result of specific policy decisions made by powerful individuals. By understanding this decline, we can identify those responsible and reverse their choices to build new systems that prioritize human well-being.

Digital businesses today act as platforms that connect two groups, such as buyers and sellers or creators and fans. In the early days of the internet, many people hoped technology would remove middlemen so individuals could deal with each other directly. Instead, middlemen have consolidated into a few giant companies that dominate the internet and act as gatekeepers. This concentration of power leads to a predictable cycle of decline where platforms eventually squeeze everyone for profit.

The lifecycle of a digital platform often begins with a generous offer to users. Facebook originally launched as a simple way for college students to connect, but it truly grew by promising privacy and a great user experience without intrusive ads. During this initial stage, the platform prioritizes the happiness of its users over making a profit to build a massive audience. As more people join, the platform becomes more valuable because everyone’s friends are already there, creating high switching costs that make it difficult to leave.

Once a massive audience is locked in, the platform moves to the second stage and begins to favor business customers. Facebook started selling access to user data to advertisers, promising them precise targeting based on the very surveillance they once claimed they would avoid. They also courted media publishers by offering them a free funnel of traffic, pushing their articles into users' feeds. This attracted a massive wave of businesses that became just as dependent on the platform as the individual users were.

The final stage occurs when the platform turns on those business customers to maximize its own profit. For advertisers, this meant higher prices and less transparency, while publishers were forced to post full articles directly on the site and pay to reach their own followers. At this point, the service becomes a shell of its former self, filled with clutter and paid content. While this state is profitable for executives, it is incredibly fragile, leaving users trapped in declining systems that desperately try to stay relevant.