this post was submitted on 29 Oct 2024
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Enshittification

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What is enshittification?

The phenomenon of online platforms gradually degrading the quality of their services, often by promoting advertisements and sponsored content, in order to increase profits. (Cory Doctorow, 2022, extracted from Wikitionary) source

The lifecycle of Big Internet

We discuss how predatory big tech platforms live and die by luring people in and then decaying for profit.

Embrace, extend and extinguish

We also discuss how naturally open technologies like the Fediverse can be susceptible to corporate takeovers, rugpulls and subsequent enshittification.

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Has YouTube experienced enshittification?

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

What would removing the dates accomplish except making things more confusing and harder to find? What advantage to YouTube is there?

[–] SpeakinTelnet 23 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

My guess is that it makes it easier to suggest you older content that wouldn't be interesting when you can see at a glance how outdated it is.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't understand why the hell I would want to watch an old ass YouTube video unless I sought it out.

[–] SpeakinTelnet 4 points 3 weeks ago

That's pretty much my point. You won't know unless you click

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Have to wonder if advertisers want to advertise on older videos though.

[–] SpeakinTelnet 2 points 3 weeks ago

Would it really matter if they pay per view?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago

YouTube's goal, as was Facebook and Instagram and Twitter and TikTok and everyone else, is to get you to consume what they want you to consume, rather than what you choose to consume.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

They one one goal: keep you engaged in the app.

Nothing else matters.

In their eyes, further reoving the "choice" of what to watch and shifting more of it to the algorithm optimizes that. And visible view counts/dates is a factor, as you may skip a video the algorithm thinks would keep you engaged.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I just question if steering users toward old and outdated videos really keeps them engaged.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

It probably does in the short term (aka next quarter or two), which is all they care about. It takes awhile to hemorrhage users when one is so entrenched.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

For sure this has to be it. Less distractions, less info, less choice, more control for them

It is enshittification. IDK why other comments are mad about calling that out but look up the term if unfamiliar. Corey Doctorow laid out a thesis a few years ago and , the trend has continued. It seems unabated 😡😰