In recent years, many businesses and everyday users have started to feel like major digital platforms aren’t what they used to be. Platforms once built to help people connect, share, and grow now seem to prioritize profits over quality, trust, and user experience. This growing concern was captured by Wired magazine with one memorable term: “enshittification.”
This phrase may sound funny, but it describes a serious and troubling trend. In this article, we’ll explore what “enshittification” really means, how it applies to U.S. digital power platforms like Amazon, Google, Facebook, and others, and why this trend is causing many businesses to lose trust in the very platforms they rely on.
What Is Enshittification?
The term “enshittification” was popularized by author and journalist Cory Doctorow and covered in Wired. It’s used to explain how digital platforms start by being helpful and user-friendly but slowly become exploitative over time.
Here’s how the cycle generally works:
- Stage 1: User Focused
Platforms offer great value to attract users. Think of Amazon’s low prices, Facebook’s social sharing, or Google’s fast and accurate search. - Stage 2: Business Friendly
Once enough users are hooked, the platform shifts to favor businesses and advertisers—offering them great deals, visibility, and access. - Stage 3: Platform First (Enshittification Begins)
Eventually, the platform shifts again—this time to serve its own corporate interests above all else. It starts increasing fees, manipulating algorithms, and squeezing both users and businesses.
This process turns once-beloved services into frustrating, low-value experiences. In other words, they become… well, enshittified.
Enshittification of Digital Platforms: Real Examples
Let’s take a closer look at how enshittification shows up in real-world U.S. digital platforms and how it’s affecting business trust.
1. Amazon: From Customer Obsession to Ad Overload
Amazon was once loved for low prices, fast shipping, and honest reviews. But over time, it has shifted its focus toward maximizing revenue through advertising and seller fees.
- Search Results Are Paid, Not Relevant
Today, many top results on Amazon are sponsored products. Businesses must now pay to be seen, even if their product is better. - Higher Fees for Sellers
Amazon has raised fees for storage, advertising, and fulfillment, squeezing small businesses that helped build its marketplace. - Customer Experience Decline
Fake reviews, lower product quality, and cluttered interfaces frustrate both buyers and sellers.
Result: Many small businesses feel trapped—forced to rely on Amazon, but frustrated by rising costs and reduced visibility.
2. Google: Helpful Search to SEO Battlefield
Google’s mission used to be “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” But enshittification has crept in.
- Too Many Ads
Sponsored results now dominate the top of search pages. Organic results get pushed down, even when they offer better answers. - Changing Algorithms Hurt Small Publishers
Constant updates in Google’s search algorithm often hurt smaller websites, blogs, and media companies while benefiting big brands and Google’s own properties like YouTube. - AI Overload and Misinformation
Google’s AI-generated results (like Search Generative Experience) sometimes deliver incorrect or low-quality information, raising concerns for both users and publishers.
Result: Businesses find it harder and more expensive to reach audiences organically. Many now see Google as less transparent and more self-serving.
3. Facebook/Meta: Social Connection to Pay-to-Play
Facebook grew by helping people connect freely. But over time, its platform became pay-to-play for businesses.
- Organic Reach Is Dead
Businesses that once built large Facebook audiences now have to pay to reach even a small portion of them. - Algorithm Changes Without Warning
Many brands saw traffic drop overnight due to algorithm tweaks that favor videos, Reels, or paid content. - Privacy Scandals and Trust Issues
From Cambridge Analytica to frequent data leaks, Facebook has lost much of the trust it once had.
Result: Businesses spend more to get less, while users see more ads and less of what they want. Many feel Facebook serves no one but itself.
Why Businesses Are Losing Trust
The enshittification of digital platforms doesn’t just affect user experience—it directly hits businesses in key areas:
A. Rising Costs with Lower ROI
Platforms now charge more—whether it’s for advertising, premium listings, or access to analytics—while delivering less in return. This puts startups and small businesses at a disadvantage.
B. Unpredictable Algorithms
Constant changes mean businesses must constantly adapt their content, strategy, or budgets. There’s little stability or long-term reliability.
C. No Real Alternatives
Most platforms have become monopolies or near-monopolies. Leaving Facebook, Amazon, or Google often isn’t an option, even if trust is lost.
D. Lack of Transparency
Decisions made by algorithms are not shared openly. Businesses don’t know why their visibility dropped, their account got flagged, or their ads failed.
The Bigger Picture: Digital Monopoly and Exploitation
At the heart of enshittification is platform capitalism. These companies aren’t just websites; they are digital empires. And like monopolies of the past, they often act in their own interests once they dominate the market.
When platforms become too big to compete with, they can afford to degrade service, manipulate markets, and exploit users and businesses. Trust, once broken, is hard to rebuild.
What Can Be Done?
Though the picture seems bleak, there are ways forward.
1. Regulation and Oversight
Governments can step in with antitrust laws and digital regulations to make sure platforms play fair. The U.S. and EU have both started pushing back on Big Tech practices.
2. Open Standards and Interoperability
Encouraging systems that work across platforms (e.g., messaging, shopping, social feeds) gives users and businesses more freedom to choose.
3. Support Ethical Alternatives
Businesses and users can support smaller, ethical platforms—even if they’re not perfect. Collectives like Mastodon (for social media) or DuckDuckGo (for search) are trying to offer better values.
4. Demand Transparency
Platforms should be required to disclose how their algorithms work, how content is ranked, and how data is used. Transparency builds trust.
How Businesses Can Protect Themselves
While changing the entire digital landscape takes time, businesses can take small steps today:
- Diversify Platforms: Don’t rely on one platform for all marketing, sales, or customer outreach.
- Build Direct Relationships: Use email newsletters, community groups, and offline strategies to connect with audiences directly.
- Own Your Data: Collect and protect your customer data. Don’t leave it all in the hands of third-party platforms.
- Prioritize Trust: In a world where platforms betray users, brands that stay honest and user-first stand out.
Final Thoughts: Enshittification Is a Wake-Up Call
The enshittification of digital platforms is not just a clever word—it’s a warning. What starts as innovation can rot into exploitation if left unchecked. For businesses, it’s a call to rethink strategies, push for change, and demand better from the platforms they depend on.
Wired’s concept has given us a language to talk about a frustrating trend. Now, the challenge is to act—to restore the trust, fairness, and value that digital platforms once promised.
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