Amazon and the Rise of Enshittification: Why Platforms Decay
Explore the decay of Amazon and the rise of enshittification. Learn how platforms shift from customer obsession to value extraction in this deep dive into Cory Doctorow's theory.
Amazon and the Rise of Enshittification: Why Platforms Decay最佳语录
Enshittification describes a predictable lifecycle where a platform starts out amazing for you, locks you in, and then slowly starts clawing back that value until the product you loved feels like a pile of exactly what the name implies.
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The enshittification of Amazon and why cheap no name garbage now costs so much. At what point do consumers walk out on Amazon's business model
常见问题
Enshittification is a term coined by Cory Doctorow in November 2022 to describe a predictable lifecycle of platform decay. In the case of Amazon, it refers to the transition from a customer-obsessed store where users could find the best deals in two clicks to a platform focused on value extraction. This structural decay often leaves shoppers navigating a minefield of unknown brands and identical photos instead of a reliable marketplace.
The term was famously coined by Cory Doctorow in late 2022 to explain why digital platforms eventually decline in quality. It describes a process where a platform starts by being great for users to lock them in, then slowly claws back that value to benefit the platform itself. This shift results in a product that feels like a pile of garbage, moving away from the original utility that made the service popular.
As Amazon experiences platform decay, the search experience has changed significantly for the average user. Instead of seeing the best prices immediately, shoppers often have to dig deep into search results—sometimes as far as page two or result seventeen—to find the true best buy. This shift occurs as the platform moves from being customer-obsessed to extraction-obsessed, prioritizing specific economic forces over simple user convenience.
Signs of platform decay, or enshittification, include a feeling of creeping uncertainty while shopping. Users may encounter pages filled with unknown brand names that look like keyboard mashes, all featuring identical photos and five-star reviews. This structural decay makes the shopping experience feel more like navigating a minefield than a store, as the platform begins to prioritize its own interests over providing a high-quality experience for the consumer.
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