Once, the internet felt like a frontier — open, exhilarating, and full of possibility. Today, it feels more like a shopping mall where every corner is monetized, and every gesture is tracked. Author and activist Cory Doctorow has given this decay a name that’s as blunt as it is resonant: “Enshittification.”
In his new work, Doctorow argues that online platforms follow a predictable pattern of decline. They begin by treating users well to gain popularity, then shift to squeezing business partners, and finally exploit both in service of shareholders. The result is an ecosystem where creativity shrinks, innovation dies, and the joy of being online erodes under algorithmic manipulation and corporate greed.
Doctorow’s argument isn’t just critique — it’s a roadmap for renewal. He calls for policies that restore user ownership, data portability, and interoperability, so people can move freely across digital spaces without being trapped by monopolies. In his view, the internet doesn’t have to rot; it can be reclaimed — but only if users and lawmakers act together to demand accountability.
“Enshittification,” he reminds us, is not inevitable. It’s a choice, and so is the fight against it.
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Sources: The Guardian Wired Bloomberg BBC News The Verge
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