‘What many of us feel’: ‘Enshittification’ named word of the year

Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary says word captures wide consciousness that things are getting worse.

Australia’s oldest dictionary of Australian English has chosen “enshittification” – a slang word referring to the deterioration of products and services online – arsenic the connection of 2024.

Macquarie Dictionary, which is wide considered the modular notation connected Australian English, said connected Tuesday that the word tapped into a wide feeling that things were getting worse, particularly successful the integer world.

“This connection captures what galore of america consciousness is happening to the satellite and to truthful galore aspects of our lives astatine the moment,” the dictionary’s judging committee said successful a connection connected its website.

Macquarie Dictionary said the word – which it defined arsenic “gradual deterioration of a work oregon merchandise brought astir by a simplification successful the prime of work provided, particularly of an online platform, and arsenic a effect of profit-seeking” – bushed retired shortlist picks specified arsenic “looksmaxxing”, “overtourism” and “sigma”.

The committee named the “right to disconnect” and “rawdogging” – referring, respectively, to a instrumentality granting employees the close to not respond to bosses extracurricular of enactment hours and the signifier of taking a long-haul formation without physics amusement oregon speechmaking worldly – arsenic honourable mentions.

Canadian-British writer Cory Doctorow coined “enshittification” successful a 2022 effort decrying the perceived diminution of integer platforms specified arsenic Facebook and Twitter.

In a follow-up blog station successful 2023, helium expanded connected the concept, describing the process by which integer platforms “die”: “First, they are bully to their users; past they maltreatment their users to marque things amended for their concern customers; finally, they maltreatment those concern customers to claw backmost each the worth for themselves.”

Macquarie Dictionary past twelvemonth chose “cozzie livs” – a play connected “cost of living” – arsenic its connection of 2023.

Macquarie is 1 of a fig of dictionaries worldwide that take a connection of the year.

The UK’s Oxford Dictionary is presently accepting votes from the nationalist to constrictive down a shortlist that includes “brain rot”, “demure”, and “dynamic pricing”.

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies