Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

Enshittification isn't just when things turn crappy, it's a 3-step process.

Corner the market by providing good service to business users and consumers.

Abuse your users because there aren't many other choices.

Abuse your business users.



Typically you'll need some form of monopoly, close monopoly, or collusion between competing entities. For websites this can be the 'network-effect' cost. You use that site because everyone else you know uses that site.

The web itself is an environment ripe for abuse because, again typically, your end user doesn't pay directly for the services (they are the product). This is pretty much why every large social media site is an advertizer. About the only way to make money pushing web pages is by selling your users to advertisers.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: