Enshittification

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What is enshittification?

The phenomenon of online platforms gradually degrading the quality of their services, often by promoting advertisements and sponsored content, in order to increase profits. (Cory Doctorow, 2022, extracted from Wikitionary) source

The lifecycle of Big Internet

We discuss how predatory big tech platforms live and die by luring people in and then decaying for profit.

Embrace, extend and extinguish

We also discuss how naturally open technologies like the Fediverse can be susceptible to corporate takeovers, rugpulls and subsequent enshittification.

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Way past its prime: how did Amazon get so rubbish? (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 1 day ago by HailSeitan@lemmy.world to c/enshittification@lemmy.world

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Sick of scrolling through junk results, AI-generated ads and links to lookalike products? The author and activist behind the term ‘enshittification’ explains what’s gone wrong with the internet – and what we can do about it

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[–] lichtmetzger@discuss.tchncs.de 38 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Now, you may have noticed that Amazon’s prices aren’t any higher than the prices that you pay elsewhere. There’s a good reason for that: when merchants raise their prices on Amazon, they are required to raise their prices everywhere else, even on their own direct-sales stores.

This alone tells you how much the system has been messed up to favor massive corporations in America. I live in Europe and we don't have laws like that here. Amazon is still a major player (and they're just as evil), but I have the option to buy my goods elsewhere for a lower price. And I regularly do.

Just this month I needed new air filters for a Sony projector. They're 60€ on amazon, so I bought the same filters for 20€ in a dedicated air filter shop in the Netherlands. Even with shipping, it was half the price.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 0 points 11 hours ago

when merchants raise their prices on Amazon, they are required to raise their prices everywhere else, even on their own direct-sales stores.

Not exactly true. If you see the price for an item, this means it is the lowest retail price.

If you see "see options", that means a seller can sell it to you, but they are selling in cheaper somewhere else.