I’m all in on this one, mostly because the FF was one of my favorite comics as a kid. I mean, Ralph Ineson is Galactus? Come on!
The Internet’s Inevitable Enshittification
How platforms decay, as explained by Cory Doctorow to NPR. Finally a name for what we may not consciously recognize but deep down know is going on.
… I think Facebook’s a good example. Facebook went through the whole lifecycle of platform decay. They started off by offering a really good deal to their end users. They said, “Hey, leave MySpace, come to Facebook. It’s just like MySpace, except we only show you the things that you asked to see, and we’ll never spy on you.”
And then once those users were locked in — because once you’re in a place with all of your friends, it’s really hard to leave — they started to take away some of that good stuff they gave them, and they handed it to advertisers and publishers.
To the advertisers, they said, “We were lying when we said we weren’t going to spy on these guys. We’re totally spying on them. Here’s all the data you need to target them for ads that we’re not going to charge you much money for.”
And to the publishers, they said, “We are also lying when we said we’d only show them the stuff they asked to see.”
And then once the publishers and the advertisers were locked in, well, they took away those surpluses. The ads got more expensive. Publishers had to put more and more of their content — not just to get recommended, but even to be shown to the people who subscribed them. And that’s the final stage, the stage where there’s just only the residual value left on the platform that the platform owner thinks will keep the users and the business customers they bring in stuck to the platform. And that’s when we’re at the beginning of the end.
Further reading.
A Hero For Us All …
… and better than we deserve.
“Buy Some Condoms”
I found myself in the Apple store yesterday because a couple of Renfields “need” new iPads. Reminded me of this classic.
This One Still Makes Me Laugh
One of my daily stops is to The Far Side. Some have aged better than others, some were too weird or obtuse to begin with, and a few are just perfect.
Goodbye, Least Favorite Season
It’s a classic!
The Stars Were Shining Bright
Guitar player numbers his Les Paul’s like Pete. Singers have real talent. And they’re doing an Elvis song. Let me see, what else is interesting here…..
Hey, Nerds
And with your spirit.
Stan The Man
This is great!
New Zappa Documentary
I was never the biggest Zappa fan, but this looks pretty good.