‘Enshittification’ is coming for absolutely everything::The term describes the slow decay of online platforms such as Facebook. But what if we’ve entered the ‘enshittocene’?
‘Enshittification’ is coming for absolutely everything::The term describes the slow decay of online platforms such as Facebook. But what if we’ve entered the ‘enshittocene’?
The phenomenon is due to pressures to be profitable instead of hemorrhaging money which is no longer free. For stuff like Uber, it just means it’s more expensive because they are done paying for a portion of our rides from their VC money. That means it’s pricing accurately instead of inaccurately, that’s good. If you don’t want to spend that much on a taxi, take the bus.
For stuff like reddit, it’s harder. They don’t charge, so they need to squeeze every little penny from advertising (hence forcing their app instead of 3rd parties), and try to find new funding streams like the AI API. On that you just have to hope that the new funding streams get big enough that they pay for the removal of some of the ads in the hope of encouraging more user growth. Or at least some app development.
And for TikTok, it’s the same, they’re hoping the e-commerce funding stream pays for the app so they can avoid going HAM on true ads.
Profitability is coming for everything, ZIRP is over. But there is the hope that enshittification can be reversed by new funding streams.
They did that on the backs of poor working people who had, often expensive, taxi licenses. Those people are now out of business for the most part and Uber can charge what ever they want. If this was international trade they would be accused of dumping, and it’s fucking gross. Disgusting you would excuse such behaviour.
I say this from the bottom of my heart, FUCK TAXIS
Taxis have left me waiting for hours and ripped me off 1 too many times on top of every cab I’ve been in has been quite dirty. They tried using their near-monopolistic position in most places to ignore basic innovations, like having an app to request a taxi (and having that app not look like it’s a time capsule from 2008) or even taking card.
Uber drivers don’t regularly leave me waiting for hours with the promise of being “Just 10 minutes away”
Uber drivers can’t go “This guy isn’t local, so I’m going to go the longest way possible to rack up charges”
Uber doesn’t leave me guessing where the car is with my only way to find out is to call dispatch (Who will constantly tell you a car is on the way “just a couple minutes”)
Uber drivers don’t just stop 2 or 3 blocks away and expect me to walk
Uber cars have been far cleaner and better maintained than the best taxi I’ve been in
I’ve felt far more unsafe and uncomfortable in a taxi than any Uber ride I’ve been in
I have no sympathy for taxis, they’re dead to me. Do you honestly think taxis wouldn’t be doing the exact same things as Uber? They’re playing the victim now because they lost their monopoly and can’t. The only places that had even half decent taxis are places where they actually had competition like NYC or near major airports, everywhere else? Yea they would rip you off every chance they could and customer service? Pfffft
Over-regulation led to taxi medallions in places like NYC costing upwards of $1.3 million dollars. It isn’t surprising someone else was able to blow that system away by simply…not having to pay such exorbitant costs.
Over-regulation and corruption. The corruption was a solid chunk of it too.
Anti competitive behavior does suck. Stuff like million dollar taxi medallions being required before you can drive people around, or using your VC funding to drive taxi businesses out of business. But that’s not where the price increases are coming from. Taxi companies are still here, and so is Lyft. Some cities have their own local rideshare apps.
The price increases are from Uber deciding to stop losing money on their rideshare services anymore.
In the case of Uber, it isn’t simply good because they ousted many the taxi cab companies along the way with those subsidized ride rates.
GOOD, FUCK TAXIS
I will pay double the non-subsidized rates for an Uber before I ever even think about taking a taxi ever again. Until the threshold when it makes sense to just rent a car anyways.
I agree that running other companies out of business by losing money with VC funding is anticompetitive and bad, that just isn’t what I’m talking about here.
I disagree that the increased prices is from some newfound monopoly power. They didn’t succeed in becoming a monopoly, they just made the business decision to become profitable by charging more, and they did that due to the new interest rate environment.
Netflix has been profitable since 2003. So pretty much everything they’ve done since has been responding to the pressure of, “MOAR PRAAFITT!”
What kind of toothpaste do you use?
I’m guessing one with led in it.
Colgate
Does it get the taste of boot out of your mouth?
Why’d you type all that if you just wanted to tell everyone you didn’t know what you were talking about?
Why’d you comment with no substance instead of actually disagreeing with what I said? If I’m wrong, spell out where or you’re just being a troll.
If you want people to help, use smaller comments
I’ll give you the first one but I’m not spending an hour helping you understand 10 things when you’re acting like that and will likely reply with “nuh uh”.
You act like they want to burn investor money indefinitely.
They dont, not a single company.
They “invest” investor capital operating at a loss and eliminating competitors. The plan is always once the competition is out of business, to raise your prices higher.
This has been a thing as long as capitalism has been a thing.
And it’s incredibly basic.