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🤖 Briefing: How digital platforms degrade over time

Note: 🤖 indicates the following material is derived using Chat_UP, Unofficial Partner's language model trained on our podcasts and newsletters.

Enshittification is Cory Doctorow's term to describe the cyclical degradation of online platforms. The central thesis is that the decline of digital services is not an accident or a result of corporate incompetence, but a deliberate, multi-stage process driven by a policy environment that has eliminated the traditional disciplines of competition, regulation, and user empowerment.

Enshittification follows a predictable three-stage lifecycle:

1. Attract End Users: Platforms begin by offering a high-quality, valuable service