this post was submitted on 12 Jun 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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As much as I want something like that to happen I don't see it happening for video platforms. Since most people wouldn't switch platforms from YouTube since the creators they like are on YouTube and those creators won't switch platforms cause they won't be able to make a living on another platform unless it's another big one like TikTok. The only alternatives to YouTube that have really worked are more niche subscription platforms like Nebula and Floatplane. Which only work as an additional platform to YouTube as a way to get some extra stable income that isn't ad dependent.
I agree in that its probably not the right time in 2024.
I also don't think bittorrent is the right tech.
That said, as yt becomes more toxic there's more demand for alternatives.
The most realistic solution is probably eventually breaking up Youtube on grounds it's a monopoly. The political will doesn't exist atm, but that would solve the problem of YT having no competitors and would mean competitors would come with infrastructure already.
I don't see this as very realistic because, as you say, there's no political will.