Is software enshittified?
4 hours ago
- Cory Doctorow's concept of enshittification has become culturally sticky, suggesting software is intentionally getting worse due to economic forces.
- Network effects enable free services to exploit users by degrading experiences (e.g., more ads) since raising prices isn't feasible.
- Many complaints about enshittification reflect normal product evolution—software becomes more complex and less performant as it matures.
- Software complexity often arises from necessary features like legal compliance, accessibility, and platform changes, not just corporate greed.
- AI summaries in Google search may not be driven by dominance but by other factors, challenging the enshittification narrative.