Enshittification comes for us all, even Descript which I already pay $20/mo for because it's the best podcast editing platform on earth. Last year they added a Robot AI feature that could take your voice and create new audio from your own scripts to let you insert missing words. I went to test it out again today but got this message on a single sentence.
@mathowie While perhaps a crappy customer experience, that's not technically enshittification. Enshittification is what happens in where the enabler of a marketplace creates something useful, sacrifices the 'consumer' side in favor of the business side, and then, when they have garnered sufficient power/monopoly, makes things crappy for everyone, because what choice do you have. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification
Not every rapacious digital practice is necessarily enshittification.
I'm being pedantic, but I think it's important that @pluralistic's concept is about a specific pattern that has been repeated in a bunch of places.
Also, for what it's worth, Descript's move doesn't bug me. That AI capability is a compelling addition, but not necessary for the core use. We use Descript for our podcast, and I'm happy I have a tier that doesn't include AI, as we don't need it.
"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"
what was working is now requiring money to work. Seems to fit.
@knowprose
Hmm. As I understand, the original Doctorow Enshittification™ requires some sort of monopolistic behavior. Is the company in the business of whatever product or service they are offering, or are they in the business of building, maintaining and exploiting monopoly power?
In the case of Descript, I don't really see how @mathowie is locked into that particular product, but I don't actually know anything about the podcast editing software market @peterme@pluralistic
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