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WotD: Enshittification
In our digital age, many users have started noticing a troubling trend known as enshittification.
Now, I can forgive you for immediately not taking this word seriously.
However, this is a real term that the Macquarie Dictionary has recognized as its 2024 word of the year.
Enshittification refers to how a once-great service or platform becomes less useful, enjoyable, or reliable over time.
It’s a decline that often occurs when companies focus more on profit and less on user satisfaction.
The result?
A frustrating experience for those who initially loved the service.
Enshittification can happen in various forms.
For example, social media platforms may become overcrowded with advertisements, making it hard for users to see posts from friends.
Over time, as companies prioritize revenue, the user experience often suffers.
This shift leads to enshittification, where the experience on the platform diminishes.
Many people first notice enshittification when they find themselves frustrated with apps or websites that were once enjoyable.
Maybe the interface becomes cluttered, or features are removed to make space for ads.
This is not just bad luck; it’s a systematic decline in quality.
Users start to wonder if their favourite platform is undergoing enshittification.
So why does enshittification happen?
Unfortunately, when companies become too focused on profits, they may overlook what made their service appealing in the first place.
Instead of enhancing user experience, they make choices to improve their bottom line, contributing to enshittification.
The English language is constantly morphing and adapting.
New words are added as less-used words fall out of the vernacular.
Understanding enshittification is crucial in today’s digital landscape.
By recognizing this pattern, we can better understand and put a name to what is happening to our daily digital experiences.
Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
This post is understandable by someone with at least a 10th-grade education (age 16).
On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 44.
The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.
