Enshittification, writes Cory Doctorow, is "my theory explaining how the Internet was colonized by platforms, why all those platforms are degrading so quickly and thoroughly, why it matters, and what we can do about it." In this article, "Ars staffers take aim at some of the web's worst predatory practices." The list includes smart TVs that are thinly disguised advertising spyware, Google's voice assistant that gets worse and worse (aside: the assistant on my phone no longer sets my alarm when I ask; instead, it recommends some clock apps I might be interested in), the Portable Document Format (PDF), paywalls around televised sports, unasked-for cruft in Windows, and the way "people or companies rush to copy nearly anything that resembles a viral moment, whether it's a trope, an aesthetic, or a word that is subsequently beaten to death by overuse." It's not just the commercial aspect that Doctorow focuses on; these products are also designed to reduce our autonomy and agency. See also bit.ly adding itself to the list of offenders.
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