Cartoon image of a woman at a laptop with caption: Enshittification The gradual deterioration of a service or product brought about by a reduction in the quality of service provided, especially of an online platform, and as a consequence of profit-seeking

Enshittification—a modern decline

This week the Macquarie Dictionary (MD) has chosen its word of the year (WOTY) for 2024 as “enshittification” (28 November 2024). In this they are behind the American Dialect Society that chose it as its WOTY 2023. I have been meaning to blog about it for a few months now, after my IT guy nudged me. On one hand I feel like I’ve beaten to the punch, but on the other I now don’t need to justify the taboo word as it becomes mainstream (there are more euphemistic alternatives such as encrappification, endoodoofication, or enrubbishification but they lack the punch).

Definition of enshittification

Enshittification as defined by the MD is “the gradual deterioration of a service or product brought about by a reduction in the quality of service provided, especially of an online platform, and as a consequence of profit-seeking”. I don’t think it is a great definition. I would have used “deliberate reduction” to make it clear that there is intent.

The MD is taking the concept wider than its original use. Enshittification, also known as “crapification” and “platform decay”, was coined by Cory Doctorow in 2022 to describe a pattern in which online products and services decline in quality. He defines the stages of enshittification in IT businesses:

    1. “Platforms are good to their users.”
    2. “Then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers.”
    3. “Finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves.”
    4. “Then there is a fourth stage: they die.

However, even Cory Doctorow, activist, journalist, science fiction author and nonfiction author (his most recent book The Internet Con: How To Seize The Means Of Computation is described as a big tech disassembly manual) has broadened the word’s use to the world in general.

In the modern world, where nearly all our interactions are in the hands of technology and large corporations, the concept of enshittification is becoming more than a comic construct. As consumers, nearly all of the services and products we rely on in our daily lives seem to be deteriorating by this process of enshittification.

Enshittification of …

… technology platforms

We have all experienced the process with Twitter (now X), Facebook and Google dragging us in, offering us opportunities and then and holding us for ransom as we pay more for less. Doctorow writes: “the capitalism of today has produced a global, digital ghost mall, filled with botshit, crap gadgets from companies with consonant-heavy brand names and cryptocurrency scams”.

… telecommunications

In the last few weeks we have got a survey from our local Federal member surveying the quality of the local mobile and Internet coverage. While I welcome the initiative, I know it is driven by the upcoming election and I wonder why this hasn’t been addressed a decade ago. I live in the Inner West of Sydney and I have only patchy mobile reception—although nearly all the carriers have promised me better service none have delivered.

… appliances

We are seeing it with appliances. Even the “quality” brands are being made in China and the brand promise of reliability and value have been replaced by quick profits. Even the serviceman from one brand advised us not to bother with that brand in future, as the quality had deteriorated so markedly.

… automobiles

I own a prestige car but after having to replace all the plastic coolant hoses with a stainless steel kit my mechanic tells me that the cars are designed with cheaper components to last until the end of the five year warranty period and then be replaced.

… supermarkets

Enshittification can also be used to describe Australia’s grocery retail market. The Coles and Woolworths duopoly have consolidated the supermarket industry to drive away all competition leaving us with fewer choices of product, lower product quality, and higher prices. As they have expanded to dominate the market they have implemented cost-cutting measures and reduced staff so that we do our own checking out, we have less variety on the shelves, their suppliers are being gouged out, and prices are going up.

… politics

Dare I mention politics. As a centrist voter in Australia I see the political offering from both our major parties as being unimaginative and unadventurous. Both the Liberals and the Labor parties seem to be just offering us a continued status quo—no real changes to housing, taxation and slow progress to sustainability. And in the US voters have just voted for a convicted fraudster, proven adulterer and insurrectionist as their next president because he promised them reduced cost of living by introducing tariffs and deporting illegal migrants (lets see how that works).

How to beat enshittification

Recognising enshittification is the first step toward combating it. As consumers and voters we must demand better quality and accountability by:

  1. Supporting competition—choosing to buy from smaller, independent businesses to foster competition that increases quality & customer service
  2. Demanding regulation—supporting political intiatives that promote transparency, protect consumer rights, and prevent monopolistic practices
  3. Being citizens not consumers—by voting for politicians that promise to address what is best for everybody rather than what is just best for ourselves we improve the society we live in.

Enshittification is a term that captures a widespread and troubling modern trend. As industries and services become increasingly dominated by a few powerful players, the quality of their products and customer service get poorer.