Macquarie's 2024 Word: Enshittification Explained

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Post on Nov 26, 2024

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Macquarie's 2024 Word: Enshittification Explained

Macquarie Dictionary, renowned for its insightful selection of Australian Word of the Year, has chosen "enshittification" for 2024. This might seem like an unusual, even vulgar, choice, but its selection reflects a growing societal concern: the deliberate or gradual degradation of something good. This article delves into the meaning of "enshittification," its origins, and why its selection resonates so strongly in today's world.

What Does Enshittification Mean?

At its core, enshittification describes the process of something becoming progressively worse, typically due to neglect, mismanagement, or a cynical attempt to maximize profit at the expense of quality. It's not just about something becoming bad; it's about the active process of making it bad. The word itself carries a strong connotation of deliberate, malicious intent, even if that intent isn't always explicit.

Think about a once-beloved local park gradually falling into disrepair, littered with trash and lacking maintenance. That's enshittification. Or consider a popular online service that, after a buyout, slowly loses its core functionality and becomes cluttered with ads and invasive features. That's enshittification too. It's the slow, insidious decline of something once valued.

The Nuances of Enshittification

The beauty (and perhaps the danger) of "enshittification" lies in its versatility. It can apply to a vast range of contexts:

• Commercial products and services: The gradual erosion of quality in products or services to maximize profit margins.
• Public services: The decline of essential services due to underfunding or mismanagement.
• Social institutions: The erosion of trust and efficacy in institutions such as government or the media.
• Online platforms: The degradation of online spaces due to excessive advertising, algorithmic manipulation, or harmful content.
• Environmental degradation: The active polluting or destruction of natural environments.

It's important to note that enshittification isn't simply about criticism or disagreement. It's about identifying a deliberate or negligent process that actively diminishes value and quality.

Why "Enshittification" Resonates in 2024

Macquarie Dictionary's choice isn't arbitrary. The word's selection reflects a widespread feeling of frustration and disillusionment across many aspects of modern life. People are increasingly witnessing:

• The decline of quality in everyday goods and services.
• The erosion of public trust in institutions.
• The negative impacts of unchecked corporate greed.
• The increasing pervasiveness of misinformation and harmful online content.

These are all areas where the process of enshittification can be clearly seen at play. The word provides a succinct and powerfully evocative way to describe this shared experience.

Beyond the Word: Understanding the Problem

Choosing "enshittification" as the Word of the Year isn't just about highlighting a new word; it's about prompting a conversation. It forces us to confront the problems inherent in the degradation of things we value. It encourages us to ask questions like:

• How can we prevent the enshittification of public services?
• What role does corporate greed play in the enshittification of products and services?
• How can we combat the enshittification of online spaces?

By using this powerful, albeit blunt, word, Macquarie Dictionary encourages us to confront the reality of enshittification and actively work towards solutions.

Conclusion: A Word for Our Times

Macquarie Dictionary's choice of "enshittification" as the 2024 Word of the Year is both provocative and insightful. It's a word that reflects the anxieties and frustrations of a society grappling with the degradation of things it values. More than just a word, it's a call to action, a challenge to recognize and combat the insidious process of enshittification in all its forms. Its widespread use reflects a growing awareness of this phenomenon, making it a truly fitting choice for this era.