The Enshittification of the Internet
Messy Aesthetics, Bait-and-Switch Monetisation, and the Hope of AI
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 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 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].
The core issue here is that users are no longer the top priority. Platforms’ visual incoherence manifests their diminished focus on user experience. Instead, the target audience has shifted to computers and algorithms, as evidenced by the rise of SEO tactics and other algorithm-gaming strategies[5].
The Promise of AI: Cleaning up the Digital Mess
With the growing sophistication of AI technology, there’s a chance that the internet may see a clean-up similar to the transformation of our physical world. As information and communication increasingly shift to the digital sphere, clutter in the physical environment has decreased[6].
AI has the potential to streamline various aspects of the digital experience, removing humans from some steps and making crude hacks like SEO less necessary. When more of the internet consists of computers talking directly to one another, algorithm manipulation will occur in the background, and the digital environment could become less cluttered[7].
Nostalgia and the Future of Digital Aesthetics
As ironic as it may seem, we might find ourselves nostalgic for the enshittification aesthetic once it’s gone. Just as we now fetishize physical objects and analog media in the face of dematerializing forces, we may come to decorate our digital spaces with remnants of the past — SEO keywords and hashtags as exposed brick and pipe, and internet ephemera as digital vinyl collections[8].
The internet is in flux, and its aesthetic transformation is inevitable. As AI technology evolves and shapes the digital landscape, we may shift away from the chaotic, messy aesthetics of enshittification. But will we look back with nostalgia at the cluttered, noisy, and disorganized internet of the past? Only time will tell.
Herrman, John. “Why Does It Feel Like Amazon Is Making Itself Worse?” Intelligencer. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/01/why-does-it-feel-like-amazon-is-making-itself-worse.html
Doctorow, Cory. “TikTok and the Sorting Hat.” Wired. https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-platforms-cory-doctorow/
Perry, Sarah. “Tendrils of Mess in Our Brains.” Ribbonfarm. https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2017/01/05/tendrils-of-mess-in-our-brains/
Kneeling Bus. “Goodbye, Horses.” Kneeling Bus.
The rise of SEO tactics and algorithm-gaming strategies due to shifting the target audience to computers and algorithms is based on general observations of the increasing prevalence of these techniques across digital platforms.
The decrease in physical clutter as information and communication shift to the digital sphere is an observation based on the gradual reduction of physical advertisements, documents, and other forms of analog media in public spaces.
The potential for AI to streamline various aspects of the digital experience and reduce clutter in the digital environment is a speculative claim based on the ongoing advancements in AI technology and its potential impact on how the internet operates.
The idea of nostalgia for enshittification aesthetics and the possibility of future digital spaces being decorated with remnants of the past is a speculative claim based on how people have been known to become nostalgic for past aesthetics and artifacts in the physical world.