For anyone browsing the internet, finding what you need has become increasingly difficult. Social media platforms now prioritize algorithm-driven content over posts from friends. Search engines start with sponsored ads, making it harder to find relevant results. And the list goes on.
In 2022, a term captured the growing frustration with finding what you need: "enshittification." Coined by Cory Doctorow, a Canadian tech critic, it describes how platforms increasingly prioritize profits over the interests of users and business customers, making the internet harder to navigate.
The term has been crowned 2024's word of the year by Australia's oldest dictionary of Australian English.
Macquarie Dictionary's committee praised the word for its resonance and humor. "This word captures what many of us feel is happening to the world and to so many aspects of our lives," the panel said.
The public echoed this sentiment, selecting "enshittification" as their favorite among a shortlist that included "right to disconnect" and "rawdogging."
The word's rise highlights the public's dissatisfaction with major platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Google, which have shifted from offering user-focused experiences to serving ad-heavy and algorithm-driven content.
As Doctorow described it last year, the term has a three-stage process. First, platforms attract users with quality services. Next, they exploit that user base to appeal to business customers. Finally, they extract as much value as possible from both groups, often causing the system to collapse.
"We're all living through the enshittocene," Doctorow said in a 2023 lecture, describing the widespread decline of platforms on which people once relied.
While the word points to systemic issues, Doctorow is optimistic about the potential for reform. He has called for stronger regulations, more competition and increased user control over platforms. "Everyone has a stake in disenshittification," he said, emphasizing the importance of reversing harmful trends in the digital economy.
Doctorow also identifies a fourth stage in the decline of tech platforms: from serving users, to exploiting them for customers, to exploiting customers for their own gain.
"Then they die," he wrote.
Macquarie Dictionary chose "cozzie livs"—a play on "cost of living"—as its word of 2023.
English (US) ·