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What does enshittification look like? Well, most of you know what it looks like, but here's another example.

Today I was biking in an area I had never been to before, going on a bike route that takes the route of an old railroad line.

I needed to go back where I came from, so I asked google maps for a bike route back. It recommended a 43 minute route that began with going in the opposite direction, and then snaked its way via small side roads to where I needed to go. The bike road I was on wasn't even properly marked.

I then when to OsmAnd (openstreetmap for android) and it gave me a 30 minute route that started by turning back on the same road I was, back for about 10 minutes and then pretty much straight back.

I think I know why this is. Google Maps no longer exists to make navigation easier. For users, it's become little more than a vehicle to provide connections to businesses. Taking it a bit more abstractly: Its real goal it's all about location-based advertising, and bikers don't make them any money.