Discussion
Enshittification is particularly galling because (in theory, at least), digital technology should be *really* hard to enshittify.
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https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/21/brittle-individualism/#gnireenigne
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That's because the only digital computer we know how to build is the "Turing-complete, universal von Neumann machine," which is to say, a calculating engine capable of computing every valid program. In some deep, important, foundational sense, every computer is the same as every other computer. Sure, they vary in terms of speed, storage and RAM, but given enough time and electricity, every computer can run every program.
2/
This has profound implications for enshittification. Say a tech boss takes away a feature you value (as when Sonos pushed an update that removed nearly all the functionality from its "smart" speakers), or adds a feature you hate (like when Chamberlain blocked third-party apps from controlling its garage doors and so it could force its customers to view *seven ads* before they could open or close their garages).
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At that point, a programmer can write an "interoperable" program that restores the good feature or blocks the bad one.
This program can be costlessly and instantaneously distributed to every affected technology user, and those users will likely pay something for it. After all, enshittification is a way to shift value away from technology users to tech companies, which makes the case for you paying for disenshittification technology that wrestles that value back.
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All of that means that, in a state of nature, companies that are contemplating enshittification need to worry that their greed will tempt new companies to enter the market and poach their customers and suppliers.
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@pluralistic This was so well said, and I really liked your various analogies. It's hard to come up with good ones, I've tried, and you had a bunch of them.