Enshittification: The Uncomfortable Theory That Explains Why Your Internet Experience Is Getting Worse

Enshittification: The Uncomfortable Theory That Explains Why Your Internet Experience Is Getting Worse

Your Frustration Is Valid, Here's Why

You notice it in the small things first.

That moment when you search for a product on Amazon and the first few results are clearly sponsored, rather than what's actually best for you. The way your Facebook feed now shows you more "suggested" content than posts from people you care about. The sinking feeling that every platform you use is gradually... worse.

I've felt it too. That slow, creeping deterioration of our digital spaces. At first, I thought I was just being nostalgic, remembering some idealized version of the internet that never really existed. But then I started hearing the same frustration from friends, colleagues, even my parents.

And here's what I've learned: this isn't in your head. There's a name for what's happening, a pattern that explains why our digital ecosystem seems to be circling the drain. It's called "enshittification," and understanding it is the first step toward reclaiming our online experiences .

What Exactly Is "Enshittification"?

Coined by author and digital activist Cory Doctorow, "enshittification" describes the predictable three-stage process where online platforms gradually deteriorate in quality . It's that specific feeling you get when a once-indispensable tool becomes a source of frustration.

Merriam-Webster added it to their dictionary in 2023, which tells you how widespread this experience has become . But this isn't just a catchy word with a swear in it. It's a precise diagnosis for the sickness affecting some of America's biggest companies.

Doctorow explains that platforms follow this pattern because they're essentially middlemen, connecting users with businesses that want to reach those users. And the way they balance, or ultimately imbalance, this relationship follows a destructive but predictable path .

The Three Stages of Digital Deterioration

Stage 1: The Seduction ("Look How Great We Are!")

Remember when Facebook felt like a cozy digital dorm? When Uber rides were suspiciously affordable? When Amazon searches actually found what you wanted?

That wasn't an accident, it was strategy.

In Stage 1, platforms are:

• Flush with investor cash and focused on growth at all costs
• Desperate to convince people to sign up, so they prioritize user experience
• Offering unsustainably good deals that often amount to predatory pricing

During this stage, Facebook promised not to spy on users the way Myspace did. Amazon and Uber offered incredible deals that often sold below cost. The goal? Achieve scale and create what economists call "network effects", where each new user makes the platform more valuable for everyone else .

Stage 2: The Bait-and-Switch ("Now We Own You")

Once platforms have locked in a large user base, the pivot begins. This is when they start being really good to business customers, at the users' expense.

The telltale signs of Stage 2 include:

• Algorithm changes that prioritize paid content over what you actually asked to see
• Data exploitation that uses your information to target you more precisely
• Creating dependency among business customers who now rely on the platform

On Facebook, this meant changing feeds from showing content from friends you followed to "nonconsensually cramming" publisher excerpts and targeted ads into your eyeballs. For Amazon, this involved providing such great deals to merchants that they became dependent on the marketplace .

Stage 3: The Squeeze ("Now You Pay")

With both users and businesses locked in, platforms enter the final stage: extracting as much value as possible.

This is where we see:

• Junk fees and increased costs for business customers
• Degraded search quality and user experience
• Anti-competitive behavior like cloning successful products

Doctorow claims Amazon now takes 45-51 cents of every dollar merchants earn on the platform. Meanwhile, Amazon search results allegedly position the best match an average of seventeen places down, with the top results being more expensive alternatives .

Naturally, Amazon disputes these claims, stating that "the value Amazon offers customers has only gotten better and better over time" and that selling fees are "15% or less in most product categories" .

Why Platforms Get Away With This

You might be wondering: if this process makes everyone miserable, why does it keep happening?

The uncomfortable truth is that enshittification thrives in the absence of consequences. Platforms act this way because they can, their castles are protected by formidable moats :

• Network effects: The more people use a platform, the harder it is to leave
• High switching costs: Leaving Facebook means convincing your entire social network to join you elsewhere
• Lock-in strategies: You can't take your Kindle books to another platform

Combine these factors with inadequate antitrust enforcement and you have a perfect recipe for digital deterioration. As Doctorow notes, until recently, governments have proven "unwilling or unable to try and storm the castles" .

What Comes After Enshittification?

Believe it or not, there's hope. Doctorow and other digital activists propose concrete solutions that could reverse this trend:

• Vigorous antitrust enforcement that abandons the narrow "consumer welfare standard" in favor of more robust competition protection
• "Right-to-exit" regulations that would require platforms to make your data portable (imagine being able to take your Kindle library elsewhere!)
• Interoperability requirements forcing platforms to work with competitors, much like how any company can make printer ink for any printer

The movement against tech monopolies has gathered significant steam in recent years, with unusual alliances forming between progressives and conservatives who agree on little except that Big Tech has too much power .