Cory Doctorow: Platform Capitalism and the Curse of “Enshittification” [audio] • Hacker News Board

Re: Cory Doctorow: Platform Capitalism and the Curse of “Enshittification” [audio]

#111

Post by Etheryte » Thu, Jul 06, 2023, 8:59 AM UTC

fsckboy wrote: post #101

wunderland wrote: post #65

A perfect example with the recent changes at Twitter: > Most Twitter users barely tweet and don't care about followers - a "heavy user" tweets on average less than three times a week. So if someone is posting regularly enough to be willing to pay $8 a month for a blue tick, but has not built up a sizeable following organically, this is a very strong signal that the posts they are producing are no good. > It is exactl…

> enough to be willing to pay $8 a month you realize $8 a month is nothing to the majority of adults who would be in the "knowledge worker" category? a month? a couple of coffees is $10 and that's a day.

In my opinion, the question is generally not whether something is a lot of money or not, but if it feels worthwhile relative to other similar things. For example, $8/mo is in the same ballpark as Spotify or Apple music and right now Twitter's blue tick doesn't come anywhere close to providing similar value.

Re: Cory Doctorow: Platform Capitalism and the Curse of “Enshittification” [audio]

#112

Post by tomstuart » Thu, Jul 06, 2023, 9:00 AM UTC

ChrisArchitect wrote: post #41

When is this from? A few days ago (when it was already posted with a different url) or earlier in the year Februaryish when Doctorow wrote his stuff on enshittification of TikTok etc? Is this actually new?

This “podcast” is a radio show which was broadcast on July 2nd: https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/futuretense/co...

Re: Cory Doctorow: Platform Capitalism and the Curse of “Enshittification” [audio]

#113

Post by everdrive » Thu, Jul 06, 2023, 9:00 AM UTC

fsckboy wrote: post #101

wunderland wrote: post #65

A perfect example with the recent changes at Twitter: > Most Twitter users barely tweet and don't care about followers - a "heavy user" tweets on average less than three times a week. So if someone is posting regularly enough to be willing to pay $8 a month for a blue tick, but has not built up a sizeable following organically, this is a very strong signal that the posts they are producing are no good. > It is exactl…

> enough to be willing to pay $8 a month you realize $8 a month is nothing to the majority of adults who would be in the "knowledge worker" category? a month? a couple of coffees is $10 and that's a day.

$8 a month might feel like a waste if you don’t get anything out of it.

Re: Cory Doctorow: Platform Capitalism and the Curse of “Enshittification” [audio]

#114

Post by ComposedPattern » Thu, Jul 06, 2023, 9:10 AM UTC

fsckboy wrote: post #101

wunderland wrote: post #65

A perfect example with the recent changes at Twitter: > Most Twitter users barely tweet and don't care about followers - a "heavy user" tweets on average less than three times a week. So if someone is posting regularly enough to be willing to pay $8 a month for a blue tick, but has not built up a sizeable following organically, this is a very strong signal that the posts they are producing are no good. > It is exactl…

> enough to be willing to pay $8 a month you realize $8 a month is nothing to the majority of adults who would be in the "knowledge worker" category? a month? a couple of coffees is $10 and that's a day.

[dead]

Re: Cory Doctorow: Platform Capitalism and the Curse of “Enshittification” [audio]

#115

Post by fsckboy » Thu, Jul 06, 2023, 9:23 AM UTC

the YCombinator powers-that-be preach that a positive outlook is a key asset to propel you and your projects forward.

The word "enshittification" seems to be a Maxwell's Daemon designed to concentrate all the stray negative thoughts into (this) one huge snipe session.

Re: Cory Doctorow: Platform Capitalism and the Curse of “Enshittification” [audio]

#116

Post by manuelabeledo » Thu, Jul 06, 2023, 9:28 AM UTC

fsckboy wrote: post #101

wunderland wrote: post #65

A perfect example with the recent changes at Twitter: > Most Twitter users barely tweet and don't care about followers - a "heavy user" tweets on average less than three times a week. So if someone is posting regularly enough to be willing to pay $8 a month for a blue tick, but has not built up a sizeable following organically, this is a very strong signal that the posts they are producing are no good. > It is exactl…

> enough to be willing to pay $8 a month you realize $8 a month is nothing to the majority of adults who would be in the "knowledge worker" category? a month? a couple of coffees is $10 and that's a day.

This is true only in a handful of places, for a handful of people.

$8 a month is pretty much the monthly cost of a cellphone plan across Europe. One could also get Spotify, or Netflix, at the same price point.

Comparatively speaking, paying $8 to have unlimited access to generally low quality content, at the same price point where other platforms offer actual good content, is a waste.

Re: Cory Doctorow: Platform Capitalism and the Curse of “Enshittification” [audio]

#117

Post by raverbashing » Thu, Jul 06, 2023, 9:31 AM UTC

fsckboy wrote: post #101

wunderland wrote: post #65

A perfect example with the recent changes at Twitter: > Most Twitter users barely tweet and don't care about followers - a "heavy user" tweets on average less than three times a week. So if someone is posting regularly enough to be willing to pay $8 a month for a blue tick, but has not built up a sizeable following organically, this is a very strong signal that the posts they are producing are no good. > It is exactl…

> enough to be willing to pay $8 a month you realize $8 a month is nothing to the majority of adults who would be in the "knowledge worker" category? a month? a couple of coffees is $10 and that's a day.

$8 is a very large amount of money for what's essentially a schmoozing certificate with very little actual benefits

Re: Cory Doctorow: Platform Capitalism and the Curse of “Enshittification” [audio]

#118

Post by rsynnott » Thu, Jul 06, 2023, 9:33 AM UTC

wunderland wrote: post #65

A perfect example with the recent changes at Twitter: > Most Twitter users barely tweet and don't care about followers - a "heavy user" tweets on average less than three times a week. So if someone is posting regularly enough to be willing to pay $8 a month for a blue tick, but has not built up a sizeable following organically, this is a very strong signal that the posts they are producing are no good. > It is exactl…

I'm still amazed they went with the $8-for-attention model. Everyone _already knows_ this doesn't work well; the dating site industry has been trying to make it work for literally decades.

It's also kind of a Pandora's box; even if they removed the attention boost, the taint is already there, and people will be suspicious of bluetick replies forever.

Re: Cory Doctorow: Platform Capitalism and the Curse of “Enshittification” [audio]

#119

Post by rsynnott » Thu, Jul 06, 2023, 9:35 AM UTC

fsckboy wrote: post #101

wunderland wrote: post #65

A perfect example with the recent changes at Twitter: > Most Twitter users barely tweet and don't care about followers - a "heavy user" tweets on average less than three times a week. So if someone is posting regularly enough to be willing to pay $8 a month for a blue tick, but has not built up a sizeable following organically, this is a very strong signal that the posts they are producing are no good. > It is exactl…

> enough to be willing to pay $8 a month you realize $8 a month is nothing to the majority of adults who would be in the "knowledge worker" category? a month? a couple of coffees is $10 and that's a day.

It's not just the cost; most people would, I think, be _embarrassed_ to be seen to be paying for attention.

I used to pay for a Twitter client, I now pay for a Mastodon client, I contribute to the upkeep of my local friendly Mastodon instance. In all it's in the ballpark of 8EUR/month. There's no world where I would _pay for attention on Twitter_, though.

I am somewhat surprised they didn't just charge for client API access/other bits and pieces (that is, charge the user, not the person who makes the client), and nuke the pay-for-attention/pay-for-flair feature before launch as an obviously terrible idea. I think more people would pay for that. Not many people, but more people, and it would be far less corrosive on the user experience as a whole.

Re: Cory Doctorow: Platform Capitalism and the Curse of “Enshittification” [audio]

#120

Post by appleflaxen » Thu, Jul 06, 2023, 9:36 AM UTC

fsckboy wrote: post #101

wunderland wrote: post #65

A perfect example with the recent changes at Twitter: > Most Twitter users barely tweet and don't care about followers - a "heavy user" tweets on average less than three times a week. So if someone is posting regularly enough to be willing to pay $8 a month for a blue tick, but has not built up a sizeable following organically, this is a very strong signal that the posts they are producing are no good. > It is exactl…

> enough to be willing to pay $8 a month you realize $8 a month is nothing to the majority of adults who would be in the "knowledge worker" category? a month? a couple of coffees is $10 and that's a day.

You're right.

And the value of a blue check is less than that.

Wow.