Enshittification

Fair warning: the word itself is a little salty, but it’s the real, official term… it was even named a word of the year. Enshittification describes how online services get worse over time. A company lures you in with something great and free, gets you hooked, then slowly makes it worse… more ads, more fees, more junk… to squeeze out money.

Think of a favorite diner that wins you over with big portions and low prices. Once you’re a regular, the portions shrink, prices creep up, and the coffee gets weaker… but you keep going out of habit. That’s enshittification, just with apps instead of eggs.

Why should I care?

It’s the reason so much technology you rely on seems to get more annoying instead of better… your TV app cramming in ads, your favorite website burying real content under sponsored clutter. You’re not imagining it, and you’re not doing anything wrong. Naming it helps: once you can spot a service circling the drain, it’s easier to decide when to shrug it off… and when to walk away and find something better.