ELI5: why is enshittification happening and what's the cure
// explanation
What is enshittification?
Enshittification is when websites and apps that used to be really good suddenly become bad [1][4]. It's like when your favorite restaurant starts using cheaper ingredients and gives you smaller portions, even though you're paying the same price.
Why does it happen?
Companies make their products great at first to get lots of users, then once everyone is using them, they make them worse to make more money [1][4]. They do this because they know users are already hooked and won't leave easily.
What does it feel like?
It feels like everything online is getting more annoying—more ads, slower speed, harder to find what you want, and things that used to be free now cost money [3]. It's happening so much that it seems like nothing stays good anymore.
How do you fix it?
The cure involves four constraints that prevent companies from being able to make things worse [1]. One solution is antitrust laws that break up companies that get too big and powerful, so they can't control everything [4].
// sources
Feb 9, 2024 ... Now we can get to work on a cure. There are four constraints that ... Enshittification also describes what's happening to democracy as ...
Jan 17, 2026 ... Think about what an enshittified GenAI could mean. What happens when the world—legal, medicine, finance and people—depends on tools in the hands ...
Jul 20, 2025 ... ... happens. 2 more replies. 7 more replies ... Now, there are 20+ treatments for relapsing MS, and even treatments for progressive MS.
Oct 14, 2025 ... How did this happen ... In your book, you treat “enshittification” as a disease and, toward the end, offer a “cure” — what you call the “good, new ...
Listen to any one of Doctorow's podcast appearances and you'll get a pretty nice encapsulation of his arguments. You'll also get treated to what is always a ...
Video by Mickey Mellen
Video by Naeem Akram
Video by doctorsmurf
