The Macquarie Dictionary, recognized as the authoritative source on Australian English, has selected 'enshittification' as its 2024 Word of the Year. This term, coined by British-Canadian journalist Cory Doctorow in 2022, describes the gradual decline of a service or product due to a reduction in the quality of service, particularly in online platforms, driven by profit motives.
Essentially, it refers to something becoming increasingly worse, especially in the context of apps and digital platforms that start off useful but deteriorate over time. Consider the transformation of Twitter under a rebranded guise, exemplifying peak enshittification.
Doctorow outlines this deterioration as a three-stage process: initially, platforms are beneficial to users; then, they exploit users to improve services for business customers; finally, they exploit those business customers to reclaim all value for themselves. This process is not only frustrating and demoralizing but also terrifying.
Interestingly, 'enshittification' was chosen by both the People's Choice and the Committee's Choice. The committee noted that the word, though rooted in a basic Anglo-Saxon term, is elevated by its affixes to a near-formal, respectable status. It aptly captures the widespread feeling of the current state of the world and various aspects of our lives.
Other contenders included 'rawdogging' (taking a long-haul flight without entertainment), 'right to disconnect' (a law granting employees the right to not work or be contacted outside of work hours), and 'brainrot' (low-quality content lacking intellectual stimulation). The Macquarie Dictionary is not alone in selecting a word of the year; Collins Dictionary chose 'Brat,' Cambridge Dictionary selected 'Manifest,' and Oxford Dictionary's choice is yet to be announced.
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