Enshittification is a term coming to prominence to describe the now predictable path internet services take. They are typically:
- Free which build audience and attracts investors
- Paid for which carves of premium services
- Cut down to make money
People leave and we’re all worse off.1
In 2025 it certainly feels this is the way a lot of large IT systems are going.
Footnotes
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Doctorow (2024), My McLuhan lecture on enshittification ↩