In an age where digital platforms permeate every aspect of our lives, Norwegian authorities are taking a stand against a phenomenon that has quietly degraded our online experiences: “enshittification.” The Norwegian Consumer Council (Forbrukerrådet) has launched a comprehensive campaign to expose and combat this deliberate deterioration of digital services.
The Enshittification Epidemic
The term “enshittification” was coined by renowned technology critic and author Cory Doctorow in 2022 to describe the systematic degradation of digital platforms over time. According to Doctorow, this process follows a predictable three-stage pattern:
- User Acquisition: Platforms initially offer attractive, user-friendly services to gain popularity and achieve scale.
- User Exploitation: Once users are locked in, platforms begin to abuse them to benefit their business customers through increased ads, reduced privacy, or degraded service quality.
- Stakeholder Extraction: Finally, platforms abuse their business customers to extract maximum value for shareholders.
This concept resonates with anyone who has witnessed the steady decline of once-beloved platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or even software applications that mysteriously become more restrictive or buggy after purchase.
Norway’s Digital Rights Crusade
Norway’s government-funded Consumer Council has taken Doctorow’s theory and transformed it into a concrete campaign. Their 80-100 page report, “Breaking Free: Pathways to a fair technological future,” delves deep into how enshittification affects both consumers and society. The report is accompanied by a clever absurdist video campaign titled “A Day in the Life of an Enshittificator,” which creatively illustrates how companies systematically degrade products to extract more revenue.
The council’s efforts are aimed directly at major tech companies that have prioritized profit extraction over user experience. As the council states, they want to foster greater competition in digital markets and advocate for consumer rights like the right to repair and genuine software ownership.
Campaign Highlights
- A comprehensive report linking enshittification to broader societal issues
- An innovative video campaign that makes complex policy issues accessible
- Calls for greater transparency and accountability from tech companies
- Advocacy for structural changes in digital markets
European Implications and Regulation
Norway’s initiative is not happening in isolation. It’s part of a growing European consumer movement calling for a Digital Fairness Act. The campaign has caught the attention of EU policymakers, who are beginning to consider legislation that would address these concerns at a continental level.
The proposed Digital Fairness Act would represent a significant shift in how digital markets are regulated in Europe, potentially establishing new standards for platform behavior and consumer protection. Norway’s campaign serves as both a wake-up call and a roadmap for what such legislation might entail.
Why This Matters to Consumers
The enshittification phenomenon hits close to home for millions of users who have watched their favorite platforms become more cluttered, more manipulative, and more expensive. Whether it’s social networks that now prioritize algorithmic content over meaningful connections, or software that becomes more restrictive after purchase, consumers are experiencing the real-world effects of platform decay.
The Norwegian Consumer Council’s campaign taps into widespread frustration with declining platform quality, making it highly relevant and likely to generate significant interest among tech-savvy users and digital rights advocates. By naming and explaining this phenomenon, the council is empowering consumers to recognize when they’re being subjected to enshittification and take action.
Looking Forward
With initiatives like Norway’s campaign and the potential for EU-level regulation, there is real hope for turning the tide on enshittification. The effort suggests that “another internet is possible” – one where platforms serve users rather than exploiting them.
As Cory Doctorow himself has noted, the key to reversing enshittification lies in structural changes to how digital markets operate. Norway’s campaign represents a significant step in that direction, showing how consumer advocacy can drive meaningful change in the tech industry.
Sources
1. Wikipedia – Enshittification
2. Norwegian Consumer Council – Breaking Free Report
3. Electronic Frontier Foundation – Digital Rights Advocacy
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