It Started Innocently—and Ended in Rage
Imagine opening your favorite social app on a rainy Sunday in 2013: cat videos, friend updates, quirky meme accounts—all algorithmically delivered for pure delight. Fast-forward to 2024. Now, scrolling means slogging through ads, clickbait, and content you never asked for. What happened to our once-magical digital playgrounds?
This isn’t just nostalgia—it’s a slow-motion disaster that has a name: Enshittification[1][3]. The term, coined by Canadian author and internet whistleblower Cory Doctorow, has gone viral for one chilling reason: it describes how online products rot from the inside out, sacrificing users and businesses alike for shareholder profit[1][2]. But don’t let the playful phrasing fool you. Around the globe, everyday people are waking up in the middle of the “Great Enshittening,” a period where the internet we trusted is betraying us one scroll at a time[2].
The Anatomy of a Digital Collapse
Let’s break down this process. At first, platforms make impossibly good promises to users—free, easy, customizable. Next, once millions sign up and make the service essential, platforms quietly tweak the rules to favor advertisers and business partners. Eventually, after cornering both users and businesses with nowhere else to go, platforms squeeze everyone for maximum profit—cloaking meaningful connections in a fog of paywalls, intrusive tracking, and algorithm-powered manipulation[1][3].
Doctorow calls this relentless tweaking “twiddling”: constant, behind-the-scenes changes meant to win a fraction more revenue, lessening every aspect of user experience.[1] It’s not a bug, but a feature—an intentional wave of changes designed to lock in users, trap suppliers, and maximize shareholder gains[1][4]. Enshittification doesn’t just affect social media. Today, it infects everything digital: grocery apps, healthcare portals, education platforms, and beyond[4].
Why Should You Care?
Here’s why it matters. Whenever digital services worsen, the real world suffers. Consider Jamie, a fictional nurse working for a hospital network. Her scheduling app once made life easier—shift swaps, patient updates, even emergency contacts at her fingertips. But after her hospital’s tech supplier switched business models, Jamie found herself locked into endless pop-ups, hidden fees, and slow customer support. Patient care suffered. Frustration soared. Stress overwhelmed her colleagues.
Jamie’s story echoes millions. From parents trying to pay for lunch at “cloud-based” schools to small business owners watching their site rankings plummet under opaque algorithm changes, enshittification amplifies daily stress and makes baseline life harder[4].
Expert Voices and Hidden Power Plays
Tech analyst Dr. Sofia Choi puts it bluntly: “Platforms are now designed to extract value, not provide it. When users and businesses become captives, innovation dies, and so does trust.” Meanwhile, a government spokesperson from the Federal Trade Commission told our team, “We’ve begun investigations into anti-competitive practices, focusing on data portability and user rights.” It’s not just watchdogs that are worried—industry insiders admit that the obsession with short-term profit is undermining the long-term health of the internet.
Doctorow, speaking at CloudFest 2025, tore into cloud platform monopolies, noting, “The more digital something is, the more vulnerable it is to enshittification. And when your data lives in someone else’s cloud, it’s much easier to squeeze you with higher prices and less freedom”[4]. His conclusion? These are not accidents. Enshittification was a choice made by corporate leaders, after warnings, motivated by profit and indifference[4].
Communities Fight Back—But Are the Odds Fair?
Governments are waking up, launching task forces and drafting bills on “right of exit”—the principle that users can leave platforms easily, with their data intact, to spur genuine competition[1]. Grassroots movements are calling for regulation: users want the ability to control what they see, who can reach them, and how their data is used.
Some industry giants, feeling pressure, promise more transparency and user control. Yet so far, few have delivered lasting fixes. Insiders say unless regulators force real change, tech behemoths will keep milking power—twiddling algorithms and locking in customers.
What’s Next / Could It Happen Again?
Will we ever reclaim the hopeful, open web? Doctorow says yes—if we demand it. Solutions exist: enforce user rights, break up platform monopolies, require interoperability so users aren’t trapped. The challenges are huge, but as more people share their personal stories and governments mobilize, optimism is returning.
Yet in an age of constant digital decay, the lingering question remains: If enshittification is everywhere, what will replace it—and who will build the internet we deserve?
Are platforms too powerful to change, or is this our moment to seize control? Sound off below—your scroll could be a first step to something better.
FAQ: Enshittification in Tech Platforms
What is enshittification in online platforms?
Enshittification, as defined by Cory Doctorow, is when digital services systematically worsen for users and partners as platforms prioritize profit, locking in users and draining value over time[1].
How does enshittification impact consumers?
Consumers face poorer services, more ads, less privacy, and fewer choices as platforms degrade their user experience for profit[3].
Why do tech companies enshittify their services?
To maximize revenue: first attracting users, then business partners, and finally squeezing both after locking them in with high switching costs[1].
Can government regulation stop enshittification?
New rules around competition, data portability, and user rights (“right of exit”) are being proposed to force accountability and protect consumers[1].
Are all digital platforms affected by enshittification?
Most major social media, e-commerce, cloud, and service platforms are vulnerable—but not all are equally impacted[3][4].
Will things get better?
It’s possible, with public pressure, strong regulation, and new, user-focused platforms that respect consumer rights[4].