April 5Apr 5 Enshittification is described as "the gradual degradation of online platforms and services, where user experience is sacrificed to maximize profits for advertisers and owners." Coined by author Cory Doctorow in 2022, it refers to a three-stage decline: being good to users, abusing users to reward business customers, and finally, exploiting both.Online examples are far too easy to find: YouTube, Netflix... the list goes on and on. But enshittification is prevalent in the real world as well. For example, this: Became this:What are some other examples of enshittification can you think of, either locally here in Chemung County or in America in general?
April 5Apr 5 The Internet in general. Dedicated forums replaced by Reddit (which is going through the same thing) and private platforms like Discord, ads being shoved down your throat, worldwide governments passing laws mandating IDs in the name of “thE ChiLdReN”. Obviously the internet can’t be the wild Wild West it was in the early days, but that point of like 2007-2016 feels like when the internet wasn’t a hellhole. AI also is going to ruin it even more. From flooding the internet with bots and slop, to the AI companies themselves destroying the environment and making consumer electronics significantly more expensive for them to hoard all data humanly possible, it’s ridiculous. I will always have a burning hatred for AI and everyone that unleashed it uncontrolled and unrestricted. Edited April 5Apr 5 by Andy
April 5Apr 5 59 minutes ago, Elmira Telegram said:What are some other examples of enshittification can you think of, either locally here in Chemung County or in America in general?Food. Over the past few decades, food has undergone dramatic enshittification. We all recognize that how unhealthy it is to consume too much ultra-processed, refined, foods laden with additives and preservatives. And unlike “too much screen time”.....that can be addressed by taking voluntary breaks from devices....we all need to at every day.And crappy food isn’t just ubiquitous, it’s availability is so dominant that it can only be avoided if someone makes daily, dedicated efforts to control what they consume. Careful shopping isn’t enough unless someone essentially avoids eating outside their home and/or constantly request menu substitutions wherever they go. Even ordering a restaurant salad means you're likely ingesting some amount of pesticide and a bottled dressing full of ingredients you can't pronounce.So, the sort of commitment needed (even to just cut crappy food intake in half) requires behavior patterns that are a sign of an eating disorder known as orthorexia.
April 6Apr 6 18 hours ago, MsKreed said:Food. Over the past few decades, food has undergone dramatic enshittification.Man, I feel like we could start a completely separate thread for this alone. Shrinkflation has really hit the food industry while at the same time the price rises and the quality drops. They’re using cheaper ingredients which causes a change in the flavors we’re used to. Hersheys is a good example of this. One of the Reese family recently went public with sharp criticism about how Reese Cups in particular don’t taste like thy used to, which I believe caused the company to do a 180 and announce they’d be going back to the old formulas.Going out to eat is a crapshoot anymore. Restaurants can’t get or keep good help so the service isn’t always what it used to be. Nor is the quality of the food oftentimes. I’m pretty easy going, but it feels like if I can walk out of a place feeling like the experience was “adequate” it’s a win.
April 6Apr 6 Speaking of enshittification of online services, I subscribe to BookBub, which sends out a daily email with a list of discounted books available on Amazon. I've found some really excellent reads thanks to this service. But lately it seems they're sending out emails containing a lot of the same books 2-3 days in a row. It's getting a little frustrating.
April 6Apr 6 4 hours ago, Chris said:Hersheys is a good example of this. One of the Reese family recently went public with sharp criticism about how Reese Cups in particular don’t taste like thy used to, which I believe caused the company to do a 180 and announce they’d be going back to the old formulas.Good example!Since they’re somewhat unique (being on the market for over a century), the quality of Reese’s cups is measurable, and the “evolution” of its ingredients and production processes can be traced. Since chemistry projects like Polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) and Tert-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ) wouldn’t be developed until decades later....we know that Mr. Reese’s recipe didn’t include them.It’s doubtful that Hershey is going to return to the “original” formula, but at least dialing it back to the slightly less objectionable recipe of a few years ago.Vintage Reese's:Today's Reese's:
April 6Apr 6 3 hours ago, Chris said:Speaking of enshittification of online services, I subscribe to BookBub, which sends out a daily email with a list of discounted books available on Amazon. I've found some really excellent reads thanks to this service. But lately it seems they're sending out emails containing a lot of the same books 2-3 days in a row. It's getting a little frustrating.I’ve noticed the same thing with BookBub. I recently changed my preferences to mix things up a bit.
April 18Apr 18 YouTube is the absolute epitome of enshitification. I remember the early days, with no or very minimal ads. Now? It’s as any ads as thy can cram in there. Yes, I know you can pay for no ads and wouldn’t it was a reasonable price. But at 15.99 ( for an individual, 26.99 for a family plan )? Come on man! I’d do 5-10 bucks but…Honestly, I watch a lot of YouTube. Some days sixteen bucks doesn’t sound so bad. I just can’t pull that particular trigger though.
May 23May 23 I honestly can’t tell which is the poster child for enshittification these days, Facebook or YouTube.
July 8Jul 8 Aaaand Meta seems to have frigged up one of the few remaining good things about Facebook - Marketplace.I have it set for local, within 25 miles and yet I’m getting less local stuff and more stuff from all over the country. Even under the “Local” tab.
July 16Jul 16 good example:was on reddit yesterday, saw a thread concerning Trump calling Harris "Half a person" i thought it was perfect opportunity to illustrate his ignorance and barely hidden racism and responded that " if he was smarter, he likely meant 3/5ths of a person"when going to scroll today, i had a red flag stating i had a 6 day ban for essentially hate speech, i appealed fwiw especially in light of the same verbiage having been used in r/blackpeopleof reddit and that post was not deleted like mine..
July 16Jul 16 You caught that ban because someone reported you. Actually I’m impressed they did something, albeit undeservedly, because someone reported if the stuff I’ve reported is WAY worse that that and they don’t do anything.Maybe I should work on getting banned, it might be the kick in the ass I need to get away from that trash heap sooner.
July 16Jul 16 14 hours ago, ADAM said:good example:was on reddit yesterday, saw a thread concerning Trump calling Harris "Half a person" i thought it was perfect opportunity to illustrate his ignorance and barely hidden racism and responded that " if he was smarter, he likely meant 3/5ths of a person"when going to scroll today, i had a red flag stating i had a 6 day ban for essentially hate speech, i appealed fwiw especially in light of the same verbiage having been used in r/blackpeopleof reddit and that post was not deleted like mine..14 hours ago, Chris said:You caught that ban because someone reported you. Actually I’m impressed they did something, albeit undeservedly, because someone reported if the stuff I’ve reported is WAY worse that that and they don’t do anything.Maybe I should work on getting banned, it might be the kick in the ass I need to get away from that trash heap sooner.Depending on what sub reddit your commenting in you cannot even remotely make it look like you side with Trump. I pretty much stick to subs that I enjoy reading like Nature is Metal I most definitely avoid anything political.
July 16Jul 16 3 hours ago, Mike said:Depending on what sub reddit your commenting in you cannot even remotely make it look like you side with Trump. I pretty much stick to subs that I enjoy reading like Nature is Metal I most definitely avoid anything political.I don't look at ANYTHING political on Reddit to begin with. It's my happy place where we talk about the Adirondacks, the 70s and 80's, the Waltons, etc.
July 16Jul 16 an actual person reviewed my challenge and the ban was reversed and post reinstated, i dont get too much into the political subs, this one was like a news of the day type, i have a few science and archeology ones saved but the rest i just scroll and read as something catches my eye
July 21Jul 21 "Are you in an areas that's in danger of severe weather? We're here to inform you, but first, a word from our sponsor that you can't click out of until you've seen the embedded video ad."
August 27Aug 27 Now some of these places are trying to charge you for being a part of their “savings clubs”?!?We were at Harbor Freight on Monday and the cashier asked if I’d like to join theirs. I said sure because, why not?Then she rattled off the cost to join for one or two years.“Forget it.”I was already a little cranky from shopping at Lowe’s ( don’t get me started ) and later thought maybe I misheard her and was unnecessarily short with her. No, I heard her right:GTFO
August 27Aug 27 As if they weren't already making enough money from "free" membership programs that sell your info and purchasing habits?
August 27Aug 27 These membership programs (even the "free" ones) remind me of another growing enshitification trend that almost all consumers are affected by (with almost none even being aware of it).Arbitration clauses hidden in the mandatory terms and conditions of many transactions, including the Harbor Freight discount program you noted above. Imbedded in the ToS for the "club" is a separate link to the ToS for HarborFreight.com general website.Those terms will tell you: ANY AND ALL DISPUTES BETWEEN YOU AND US WILL BE RESOLVED BY BINDING ARBITRATION. YOU HEREBY AGREE TO GIVE UP YOUR RIGHT TO GO TO COURTAnd those mandatory agreements to gain access to company apps and websites aren't limited to disputes related to the use of the app/website. You've waived your right to ever sue the company for anything. Defective product blows up in your face? Injured in the store when an unsafe shelving unit falls over? You can't sue them. You're bound to the agreement that lets their hand-picked arbitrator decide.
October 2Oct 2 Along with enshittification and inflation, we're seeing shrinkflation everywhere we look, all the time. Here's a great example:I buy the Premier Protein powder, which I need to ensure I get the right amount of protein each day. It's more economical than buying premade shakes. Or at least it was. In June I ordered the two pound container. Needing more, I did the "re-order" thing on Amazon, expecting the same. I got the one pound container for the almost the same price I paid for the two pound back in June. September 2026June 2026The two pound container is now $78.00!
October 2Oct 2 Cake mixes went from 18.25 ounces to 15.25. They are now at 13.25 ounces but we’re not supposed to notice 😡
October 2Oct 2 55 minutes ago, Ann said:Cake mixes went from 18.25 ounces to 15.25. They are now at 13.25 ounces but we’re not supposed to notice 😡Shush … it’s called Winning !
October 3Oct 3 9 hours ago, Chris said:Along with enshittification and inflation, we're seeing shrinkflation everywhere we look, all the time. Here's a great example:I buy the Premier Protein powder, which I need to ensure I get the right amount of protein each day. It's more economical than buying premade shakes. Or at least it was.In June I ordered the two pound container. Needing more, I did the "re-order" thing on Amazon, expecting the same. I got the one pound container for the almost the same price I paid for the two pound back in June.September 2026June 2026The two pound container is now $78.00!the 15 packs went from 23 to 29 and change, but at those prices youre better off buying the shakes....lady at work said Sams club online offers pretty decent selection of flavors...fyi avoid pumpkin spice, cinnamon bun
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