Future Knowledge Enshittification
6 snips
Dec 3, 2025 
Cory Doctorow, a science fiction author and digital rights activist, discusses his concept of 'enshittification,' the deliberate degradation of the internet. He outlines how platforms attract users but eventually prioritize profit over quality, leading to a hostile online environment. Doctorow highlights the role of corporate consolidation and antitrust failures in this decline. He advocates for stricter regulations, tech worker unions, and interoperability to reclaim a user-centered internet. His insights reveal a path for restoring digital spaces that prioritize people.
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Three-Stage Platform Decay
- Platforms follow a three-stage decay: attract users, monetize by harming users, then strip value for shareholders.
- Lock-in, monopsony over suppliers, and extraction explain why services worsen over time.
Krad Kaladny On DIY Publishing
- Cory tells the story of Krad Kaladny, an outsider author who self-published on Toronto streets.
- The anecdote contrasts heroic DIY publishing with the practical need for intermediaries like libraries and publishers.
Facebook's Lock-In Promise
- Cory contrasts Facebook's early pitch to MySpace users with the later surveillance and lock-in practices.
- The example shows how platforms win trust, then exploit it once users are locked in.
