Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary picks ‘enshittification’ as word of 2024

[El Presidente]

Enshittification?

John S can perhaps show us how to use it 

 

Judging committee says term captures widespread sense that things are getting worse.

Australia’s oldest dictionary of Australian English has chosen “enshittification” – a slang term referring to the deterioration of products and services online – as the word of 2024.

[Smatthews607]

Dictionary.com apparently selected 'demure' as their word of the year. That selection really pales in comparison to 'enshittification.' The problem, of course, is now I need to make sure that I am not using enshittification during my next faculty meeting. So, instead of learning something new today, I need to unlearn something new today. Thanks, El Pres!

[99call]

Brexit = enshittification

Our Island nation is hopelessly enshittified. 

Enshittification; trapped by other people idiocy, through no fault of your own.

[JohnS]

What a great word. In general, the meaning of the word encompasses on-line business that have shifted their business models to maximise profit at the expense of user experience. They stand out because these companies tend to get market share for being 'disruptors' and providing a user experience that is initially highly desirable. Examples include Airbnb, Amazon, Facebook and Google (et al.)

[JohnS]

Australia’s Word of the Year: Enshittification

As far as recently invented words go, this one packs a whallop.

By Hazel Hawke - Nov 27, 2024 

The state of the internet can generally be summed up with one recently coined word that perfectly captures the current vibe. Meet your new favorite term to describe why your favorite things keep getting worse: enshittification. It turns out that “enshittification” resonates with so many people that Australia has deemed it their Word of the Year.

The word was coined by Canadian author Cody Doctorow, and if you’re wondering what on earth “enshittification” means, here you go. According to the ever-reliable Dictionary.com:

Enshittification (noun): the gradual degradation of an online platform or service's functionality, as part of a cycle in which the platform or service first offers benefits to users to attract them, then pursues more and more profits at the expense of users.

Think about it for a second, and I guarantee you can come up with at least a dozen examples of websites you once loved that have become—well—enshittified. Social media platforms you couldn’t live without until recently? TikTok? Fallen to enshittification. All of Meta? Enshittification. Twitter? Oh, absolutely enshittification. Even tech products and platforms we’ve grown accustomed to using in our everyday lives—looking at you, Canva—have fallen victim.

For business owners utilizing social media platforms with ever-changing algorithms, they’re at the mercy of goalposts that keep moving with little to no notice, forcing them to overhaul their entire marketing plans for the quarter—or the year. For users of tech companies offering essential services, the terms and conditions keep changing, and by not canceling your contract, you’ve “agreed.” The sting of enshittification is something you’ve absolutely felt in the past two years. And if you think you haven’t, well—it’s just your turn to be wrong.

Sure, enshittification may have won the top spot this year, but what about the runners-up? Glad you asked!

Brainrot: You know that feeling at 3 a.m. when you’ve been scrolling TikTok into the wee hours and end up on the stupid side of the clock app? Everything’s happy and fluffy but just... dumb? That’s brainrot.

Right to Disconnect: What do you do when Sarah sends another email after hours on a Friday? You ignore her. You activate your Right to Disconnect.

Back to enshittification.

Noticed any changes over the past year to the rate you pay for Netflix? Enshittification. Did Netflix cancel the one show you maintained your subscription for? Enshittification. Your favorite coffee shop raised its prices so much that a quick latte and work session now costs $20? Enshittification.

And Spotify? Okay, maybe it hasn’t fully succumbed to enshittification—but when it reminds us we paid for all this music on CDs once upon a time? OUCH.

So, the next time your favorite app gets worse, don’t threaten a good old-fashioned rage quit. Just label it enshittification and remember you’re not alone, warming your fingers by the digital dumpster fire. Together, we’ll make it through the era of enshittification—one snarky meme at a time.

Source: https://www.riverfronttimes.com/news/australias-word-of-the-year-enshittification-43733788

[JohnS]

Australian dictionary's Word Of The Year is 'enshittification': What does it mean?

FP Explainers - November 27, 2024

Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary has picked ‘enshittification’ as its word of the year. If you have been dissatisfied with social media companies, this term sums up that feeling. Here’s what it means...

Enshittification is used for the decline of social media platforms. Representational Image/Pixabay

Do you feel social media platforms are becoming less and less useful? If you pay attention, you might notice that you are more exposed to algorithm-driven content than posts from your friends when you are browsing these apps.

There is a term that captures this gradual decline of products or services – “enshittification”. This term is now an Australian dictionary’s word of the year.

Let’s take a closer look.

What ‘enshittification’ means

Australia’s quasi-official Macquarie Dictionary has announced “enshittification” as its 2024 Word of the Year.

The word is a noun. According to the dictionary, the term is defined as the “gradual deterioration of a service or product brought about by a reduction in the quality of service provided, especially of an online platform, and as a consequence of profit-seeking”.

The word was picked by the dictionary’s committee of experts. Moreover, it was also voted People’s Choice Winner, reported AFP. 

It is “a very basic Anglo-Saxon term wrapped in affixes which elevate it to being almost formal; almost respectable,” the committee said.

“This word captures what many of us feel is happening to the world and to so many aspects of our lives at the moment,” the panel added.

Notably, enshittification was the American Dialect Society’s word of the year in 2023.

Last year, Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year was “cozzie livs”, a play on “cost of living”.

How ‘enshittification’ came to be

‘Enshittification’ was coined in 2022 by British-Canadian blogger and journalist Cory Doctorow to describe how digital platforms that were once invaluable have worsened over the years.

“All the streaming channels making you pay extra to not have ads is the perfect example,” Macquarie Dictionary managing editor Victoria Morgan said, as per Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

She said the word is typically used to refer to businesses seeking ways to make more money, but people are applying it to other aspects of life as well.

As per Newsweek, speaking about the decay of social media platforms that started as super useful but got worse as they chased profits, Doctorow said in a lecture, “We’re all living through the enshittocene”.

He also said that this decline was a three-stage process. “First, platforms are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves,” Doctorow wrote.

There is a general feeling among social media users that the apps are not what they used to be. Major platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram and Google, which used to cater to users have shifted focus to ad-heavy and algorithm-driven content.

Enshittification is the gradual decay of social media companies, which now prioritise their profits. Representational Image/Pixabay

One example that pops out is Twitter, which has become a plaything of billionaire Elon Musk since it became X.

On Instagram, you are more likely to be subjected to obscure algorithms than your friend’s pictures of another vacation.

Doctorow is, however, optimistic about the potential for reform. He suggests better regulation, increased competition, and more control over platforms for users. “Everyone has a stake in disenshittification,” he said, as per The Guardian.

According to Doctorow, big tech cannot be fixed but it can be destroyed.

He talks about a fourth stage in the decay of social media platforms: from being good to users to exploiting them for customers and then abusing their customers for their own benefit.

“Then they die,” he wrote.

Special mentions

Macquarie Dictionary’s Committee’s Choice gave special mention to the “right to disconnect” (RTD) and “ rawdogging”.

The right to disconnect is a law that gives employees the right to ignore work calls or messages during non-work hours.

Rawdogging is when passengers travel on a long-haul flight without entertainment.

Enshittification beat “brainrot” to be selected by the People’s Choice. Brainrot means content believed to be of low quality in terms of intellectual stimulation.

The People’s Choice also gave an honourable mention to “social battery”, which describes how much energy a person has for social interactions.

Other dictionaries that have revealed their words of the year are: Collins Dictionary (“Brat”) and Cambridge Dictionary (“Manifest”).

With inputs from agencies

Source: https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/australia-macquarie-dictionary-word-of-the-year-enshittification-meaning-13839342.html

[99call]

[JohnS]

Falling Down, 1993. That movie sums this all up. Tellingly, I remember one of Michael Douglas' final lines in this film..."I'm the bad guy?"

[99call]

5 minutes ago, JohnS said:

Falling Down, 1993. That movie sums this all up. Tellingly, I remember one of Michael Douglas' final lines in this film..."I'm the bad guy?"

I have a friend who IS! Michael Douglas in this film...and he's getting worse and worse. It's only a matter of time before he turns his rage on me.

[JohnS]

Please, no. I would never want things to come to that!

[El Presidente]

4 hours ago, 99call said:

I have a friend who IS! Michael Douglas in this film...and he's getting worse and worse. It's only a matter of time before he turns his rage on me.

...........I think we all have one in our lives 

It is only a matter of when....not if!

[Fuzz]

2 hours ago, El Presidente said:

...........I think we all have one in our lives 

It is only a matter of when....not if!

[Fuzz]

10 hours ago, JohnS said:

Rawdogging is when passengers travel on a long-haul flight without entertainment.

The idea behind the word of the year is to add a new word to the dictionary, not add a new meaning to an already existing word...

[Ken Gargett]

it is moments like this that one is immediately moved to ask the question, do they still publish the Macquarie Dictionary?