Platform Decay (enshittification)
See also: BAD, digital-humanism, teaching-digital-technologies
Sources:
Term defined by Cory Doctorow to describe a pattern of evolution in the behaviour/quality of online platforms. Drawing heavily on recognising such platforms as two-sided markets.
The model Doctorow describes is:
- Platforms are good to their users.
- Then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers.
- They then abuse their business customers to generate value for the platform.
The solution depends on two general principles
- The end-to-end principle - the platform must provide the customer with exactly what the want - the "message" is delivered safely from end to end.
- The right to exist - allowing users to move if they are dissatisifed.