Canadians Can't Jailbreak the Platform Economy

Is Trump’s crazy train an existential threat to Canada or an existential opportunity?

Cory Doctorow gave the world the concept of “ensh*ttification”. Doctorow’s doctrine says there is a gradual but inevitable process by which tech platforms go from marvelous and novel and exciting to, well, they go to sh*t. They get less useful and more spammy. Your Netflix library gets smaller while your monthly fee gets bigger. It gets harder to find the Google link you were looking for underneath all the sponsored links. Uber rates seem to always be set to surge pricing. 

The idea can be applied to Canada itself. For a long time we enjoyed bundled access to the U.S. cable package. We got access to their markets. We got military protection. We were along for the ride of globalization. All we had to do was play by their trade rules, their foreign policy expectations. We had to subscribe to their vision of the world.

But the beta test is over. Now that we are locked into their platform, introductory rates are no longer available. If we want to trade with them, it'll cost us. If we want a golden dome protecting us, it'll cost us. Even if we just want off the crazy train, it’ll cost us.

Can we unsh*ttify Canada?

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor & Technical Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)

Featured guest: Cory Doctorow

Fact checking by Julian Abraham

More information:

• https://craphound.com/

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