this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2024
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What brands (of anything) in your opinion, have not (yet) been enshittified? (beehaw.org)
submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by hedge@beehaw.org to c/chat@beehaw.org
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I'm putting this in chat and not in Technology because I'm also wondering about things like clothes, appliances—basically any sort of consumer product, virtual or physical, you can think of that you feel has retained some standard of quality and has not yet been enshittified. I would start by saying that Wikipedia has not yet been enshittified, but perhaps you disagree? Post is inspired by this video.

EDIT: coyotino correctly points out that Wikipedia isn't a product but a service; poor word choice on my part, just trying to cast a wide a net as possible here in the hopes of making a list of "things that are still good that don't suck." Like I said, a wide net 🙂.

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[–] lvxferre@mander.xyz 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

can enshittification apply to physical products?

I think that it can but it's harder to do so, since physical products are usually sold as discrete units, while digital products are often sold as a continuous service. Enshittification requires you to trap users into the continued consumption of the product, even after a sharp drop of quality, and that's easier to pull of under a continuous service.

If that's correct physical products can be enshittified too, but that would require a different sales model than just "go to the shop, buy it". Perhaps exploiting either subscriptions (like ink cartridges) and network effect (you need to use that product instead of a competing one because otherwise you break compatibility with what others use, and that compatibility is essential for the usage of the product).

[–] theangriestbird@beehaw.org 5 points 3 months ago

that does make sense, and you cite two great examples. I initially thought of Apple as maybe a physical brand that hasn't enshittified, but really they hit that network effect that you're talking about.

[–] unmagical@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 months ago

It could also apply to degrading quality or features in replacements. Something like newer cars offering subscriptions for heated seats or extended battery range. Or leather goods switching to a lower grade.