look, i hate the term "enshittification" as much as anyone. it feels like one of those made up swear words that came out of a doctorwho/supernatural fanfic, and for a while i was happy to continue dismissing it on those terms
it took me a while to realise that i hate it for entirely legitimate reasons too.
when people say "enshittification", it's as if their core complaint about capitalism is the customer service, rather than the systematic exploitation of other people. people don't talk about union busting as "enshittification", or wage theft as "enshittification", let alone deeper systematic issues.
people talk about enshittification to mean "i can't watch my favourite tv show any more"
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it's a "things are more expensive now" and a "products aren't made to the same qualities they used to" nostalgia. it's a cutesy term just gauche enough to raise eyebrows at the dinner party. it's a neologism for new york times readers hoping to look a little more progressive, but even then, that's not why i hate the term "enshittification"
the reason i hate the term is simple: it's as if the problems of capitalism boil down to a few greedy ceos looking to make a quick buck, despite all evidence to the contrary. yes, the original coining of the term talks about "two sided markets", but people don't really use the term in that way, and more importantly, this sort of race to the bottom exists in many other regular interactions with capitalism.
compare: buying a car might as well be a hostage negotiation. arguing over hospital bills a kafkaesque nightmare. ask your grandma about long distance calling plans. none of it gets called "enshittification" because no-one is old enough to remember when any of these things were good—or at least better than they are today.
that's my problem: enshittification is not what companies become, it's what companies set out to be. enshittification is talked about as if it's an affliction affecting capitalism, rather than the desired outcome.
every venture backed company has the following plan: spend a lot of money to gain a monopoly, use the monopoly to price gouge everyone, replace all core services with subcontractors until the company only exists to add a 5% convenience charge on all transactions.
the ones that do not have this plan will be acquired by the ones that do. this is the end state of every successful company, it is not a unique outcome, or a new means of operation, just one that's been more successful of late with the rise of online platforms.
enshittification is someone experiencing the systematic problems of capitalism for the first time, and not seeing the tip of the iceberg for what it represents. it's walking past a picket line to complain to the manager. it's being mad that the star wars show got cancelled and hoping awareness will fix it.
"i thought you busted unions to make me a better sandwich, what gives?"
that said and done, i'll probably stick to telling people it sounds like a doctor who fan swear word, because at least they'll cringe as much as I do when i hear it.
tef
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