enshittification

American  

[en-shit-uh-fi-key-shuhn] / ˌɛnˌʃɪt ə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

Sometimes shittification

noun

1. 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.

   There's been a significant enshittification of the website in just this year alone.

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Etymology

Origin of enshittification

Coined in 2022 by Canadian author Cory Doctorow (born 1971); en- ¹ ( def. ) + shit ( def. ) + -i- ( def. ) + -fication ( def. )

Example Sentences

I wonder whether jailbreak culture has gone by the wayside, because of the overall strength of enshittification.

From Slate • Oct. 13, 2025

I spoke with Doctorow last week about the long history of enshittification, the bad legal and regulatory incentives that fueled its ubiquity, and why he still has hope the internet can be better.

From Slate • Oct. 13, 2025

Now that the company has tasted stock market riches, is it on the fast track to enshittification, that perfect neologism for the way profit maximization inevitably ruins everything good online?

From Slate • Dec. 27, 2024

The problem with enshittification is that there is no exit as the systems on which we rely really begin to break down.

From Slate • Oct. 30, 2024

But the underlying principle and characteristic trash-trail of enshittification are becoming just as applicable to geosynchronous and low Earth orbit as they are to Twitter and TikTok.

From Salon • Oct. 24, 2023