enshittification

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Italic *en Proto-Italic *en- Latin in- Old French en-bor. Middle English en- English en- English shit English -ification English shittification English enshittification From en- + shittification (“becoming shitty”). Coined by Canadian-British-American blogger, journalist, and science fiction author Cory Doctorow in 2022 as a designation for a particular phenomenon affecting online platforms.

1. The phenomenon of online platforms gradually degrading the quality of their services, often by promoting advertisements, recurring payments, and sponsored content, in order to increase profits.

   “Ultimately, it doesn't matter if Amazon's enshittification is because [Jeff] Bezos was a cynic or because he sold out. Once Amazon could make more money by screwing its customers, that screw-job became a fait accompli.”

   “Here is how platforms die: First, they are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves. Then, they die. I call this enshittification”