Enshittification is quite a strange word to have as word of the year. So, what does it mean and why is it important to us?
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On November 25, the Macquarie Dictionary announced 2024’s word of the year. The winning word was Enshittification; a word that was coined two years prior. Granted, the competition wasn’t exactly tough as words like “raw dogging” and “Brain Rot” made it to the honorable mentions list. However, Macquarie chose to award this title to the word because it “captures what many of us feel is happening to the world and to so many aspects of our lives at the moment,”. Quite the praise for a word that was made up only two years ago. So, what’s enshittification, and why does it look like a fitting word for the times we’re facing?
The Meaning
Anyone reading this can guess where the word came from, so there’s no use discussing its etymology. Enshittification is a word coined by Canadian journalist Cory Doctorow in 2022. In his own words:
We’re all living through the enshittocene, a great enshittening, in which the services that matter to us, that we rely on, are turning into giant piles of shit
Cory Doctorow
The dictionary definition of the word is as follows; “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 describes the process where tech companies start with good motives but end up abusing their customers and workers. According to Cory, Enshittification has three stages; first, online platforms start good, by serving their users well, then they start abusing their users for the benefit of business customers (advertisers and partners), and then they abuse those business customers to increase their profits. And, finally (as a fourth stage), they die.
All this is great and all, but how true is this? And is it a syndrome rather than a few separate cases of business malpractice?
The Significance
Before we discuss how true enshittification is, have a look at this quote:
We hope Google will be a resource for searchers and researchers all around the world and will spark the next generation of search engine technology.
Search Engine”. It was written by Sergey Brin and Lawrence Page; the founders of Google, The paper, published in 1998, presented the prototype of Google. The quote from Brin and Page encapsulates the original vision of Google: to be a revolutionary tool for information access and to advance search engine technology. So where’s Google now? Well, it had recently lost an antitrust case in American courts thanks to its attempt to monopolize the search engine market through illegal means. Microsoft was also found guilty of violating the same antitrust laws as Google in 2001. In July this year, Adobe was also sued for practices that can be summarized as exploitation of customers. Meta is not so innocent either. In May, Meta was sued for preventing users from controlling what appears on their feeds. And these are just the lawsuits. Big Tech companies are always embroidered in some type of controversy. In fact, if you search any big tech company’s name with the word “lawsuit” or “controversy”, you’ll be certain to find something.
This is what enshittification is trying to highlight. Tech platforms start modestly, but as they grow and acquire more users, they often stray away from their stated mission mainly because they prioritize profits over public good. Platforms that were meant to be model companies are often caught doing illegal or in some cases downright embarrassing acts. For any business, chasing profits is necessary, but when it compromises the public good, it’s no longer a business, it’s a threat to societal well-being and ethical standards.
The Solution
Regulation is a good start. While big tech has provided many benefits to our world in terms of technology, it’s clear that it can’t be trusted to act independently. Regulatory bodies should aim to balance innovation with ethical practices, ensuring that companies like Google are held accountable for their market behavior. Now, if you’re cynical, you may not be convinced, but regulations do work. The US government’s successive lawsuits are evidence of this. We have to ensure that any profit big tech generates is through delivering high-quality services, rather than through exploitative or predatory practices.
