2024 Word Of The Year: Enshittification

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Post on Nov 26, 2024

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2024 Word of the Year: Enshittification – What Does it REALLY Mean?

So, you've heard the buzzword, right? Enshittification. It's everywhere, popping up in articles, on social media, even in casual conversations. But what the heck does it actually mean? Let's dive in and unpack this surprisingly accurate – and frankly, kinda depressing – word of the year contender for 2024.

Understanding the "Enshittification" Phenomenon

Basically, "enshittification" describes the process of something gradually becoming worse. It's not just a minor decline, folks. We're talking a deliberate, often insidious, degradation of quality, service, or experience. Think of it like slow rot – insidious and hard to pinpoint initially, but ultimately devastating. It’s the slow, agonizing death of something you once loved.

It’s more than just simple decline. It's actively making something crap. It implies a malicious intent, or at least a blatant disregard for quality or user experience. This isn't accidental; it's often a conscious choice driven by profit maximization or a lack of care.

Examples of Enshittification in Action

Let's get real. We've ALL experienced this. Think about your favorite website, slowly becoming cluttered with ads. Remember that once-amazing streaming service, now riddled with annoying autoplay and questionable recommendations? Or how about that local coffee shop, now serving lukewarm coffee and stale pastries? Yep, that's enshittification in action.

It’s also seen in public services. Imagine your local library cutting hours, reducing its collection, and allowing the building to fall into disrepair. That's a prime example of enshittification impacting our community spaces and resources.

The Corporate Angle: Maximizing Profits, Minimizing Quality?

Many argue that enshittification is a direct result of corporate greed. Companies prioritize short-term profits over long-term sustainability and customer satisfaction. Cutting corners, reducing staff, and lowering the quality of goods or services—it's all part of the game, unfortunately. This makes us feel powerless and frustrated. And rightfully so!

Why "Enshittification" Resonates in 2024

This word perfectly captures the feeling of many in 2024. We're seeing a decline in many aspects of modern life, from the erosion of public services to the relentless creep of corporate greed, impacting everything from social media to healthcare. It's a word that’s both descriptive and emotionally charged, tapping into a shared feeling of frustration and disillusionment. It's a powerful and perfectly imperfect way to articulate that feeling.

Fighting Back Against the Enshittification

While the term enshittification highlights a bleak reality, it also serves as a call to action. We can’t just sit idly by while things get worse! We need to actively resist the decline and support companies and institutions that prioritize quality over profit.

Support local businesses. Demand better service. Speak up when you see something going wrong. We gotta do something! It's not going to fix itself, people!

This isn't just some obscure linguistic trend; it's a reflection of a very real and increasingly frustrating situation. Understanding enshittification allows us to better identify and combat the forces that are actively making our world a worse place. Let's fight back against the enshittification of everything we hold dear.