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The Enshittification of the Internet: Messy Aesthetics, Bait-and-Switch Monetization, and the Hope of AI

Tijl Dullers
Silent Observers
Published in
3 min readMar 14, 2023
Image created by Author using MidJourney v4
Image created by Author using Midjourney v4

As we traverse the digital landscape, we can’t help but notice the internet’s descent into chaos. In his recent piece [1], John Herrman describes the “junkification” of Amazon, where a clutter of spam, sponsored products, and low-quality content has marred the user experience.

This phenomenon, known as “enshittification” by Cory Doctorow [2], is not unique to Amazon — it affects Google search results, social media platforms, and countless other corners of the internet.

But what if there’s hope on the horizon? As AI technology progresses, we may see a cleaning up of this digital mess, akin to how our physical world has already evolved [3]. Could artificial intelligence save us from the enshittification of the internet?

The Broken Promise of User Experience

As Herrman points out, Amazon’s search results are increasingly congested with sponsored items and SEO word salad, creating a trash pile that users must sift through to find what they’re looking for. The same can be said for Google’s search results, which have become a minefield of ads and irrelevant content. Social networks, too, are struggling to contain the tsunami of bots and spam[4].

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Silent Observers
Silent Observers

Published in Silent Observers

We thoughfully explore the complex interactions between technology & society, encoding nuanced perspectives.

Tijl Dullers
Tijl Dullers

Written by Tijl Dullers

Exploring life in a constant state of Superposition

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