Reposting from PeepinGoodArgs@reddthat.com in Technology@beehaw.org
Here’s an AI outline because this was actually a good talk:
How Platforms Die
The speaker introduces the concept of platform decay or “enshittification” and how it leads to the death of internet platforms.
He defines platforms as firms like Uber, Amazon, and Facebook that connect users and business customers.
He outlines a 3-stage process called enshittification where platforms:
Are initially good to users
Abuse users to benefit business customers
Eventually abuse business customers to only benefit shareholders
This results in the platform becoming a “pile of shit” that dies.
Facebook Case Study
He uses Facebook as a case study of enshittification’s 3 stages:
Initially attracted users by promising privacy protections and custom feeds
Then broke promises and sold user data to advertisers and flooded feeds with publisher content
Finally, reduced value to users and fees for publishers to extract all value for shareholders
This led to an angry user base and brittle equilibrium
Causes of Enshittification
Lack of Competition
Weak antitrust enforcement has allowed consolidation across industries
Companies can use predatory pricing to undercut competitors
Mergers eliminate competition
Example: Google relying on acquisitions rather than in-house innovation
Unrestricted “Backend Tweaking”
Tech platforms control the algorithms and systems behind their products
They can arbitrarily change these to alter user experiences
e.g. Facebook reducing visibility of publisher content in feeds
Done without transparency, oversight or accountability
Bans on Reverse Engineering
Laws like DMCA 1201 and CFAA criminalize circumventing DRM and terms of service
Makes it illegal to reverse engineer platforms to enable interoperability
Tech companies use IP laws to prevent modding and adversarial interoperability
e.g. Apple using IP laws to prevent iOS modding
Solutions
Strengthen Antitrust Enforcement
Block anti-competitive mergers
Break up existing tech giants
Pass Privacy, Labor and Consumer Protection Laws
Comprehensive federal privacy laws with private right of action
End worker misclassification through gig economy
Apply consumer protection standards to platforms
Allow Adversarial Interoperability
Roll back laws criminalizing modding, reverse engineering
Use government procurement to incentivize open ecosystems
Appoint special masters to oversee platform legal threats
Keep Interoperators in Check
Bind interoperators to the same privacy, fair trading and labor laws
Determined through democratic process vs corporate policy
Conclusion
We need to prepare and spread these policy ideas to capitalize on the next crisis
Efforts are underway to enable a better internet through this approach