Way past its prime: how did Amazon get so rubbish?
4 hours ago
- #internet-decline
- #enshittification
- #Amazon
- The internet is experiencing 'enshittification', a term coined to describe the rapid decline in quality of online services.
- Amazon exemplifies enshittification through its three-stage process: initially good to users, then abusive to users while favoring businesses, and finally extracting value from both to benefit itself.
- Amazon's tactics include predatory pricing, Prime membership lock-in, digital rights management (DRM), and junk fees that squeeze merchants and raise prices for consumers.
- The company's search results prioritize paid placements over quality, leading to higher prices and lower-quality products at the top of search results.
- Amazon's dominance has led to systemic issues, including the decline of small businesses and the spread of fraudulent sellers and fake reviews.
- Policy solutions, not consumer activism, are needed to address enshittification, including banning predatory pricing, imposing structural separation, and curbing junk fees.
- The decline of the internet has real consequences for political movements and societal organization, making it crucial to fight for a free and fair digital space.