Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Capitalist enshitification


Weather forecasts led to surprise disasters that killed people (example Houston 7/5). Even Musk’s Grok blames Trump and Musk for flooding deaths (Daily Beast)

Netflix and other streaming services got commercials. 

Ad blockers stopped working.

I just found out the Met isn't pay what you wish. It's only pay what you wish for New York residents. This doesn't effect me, but I think that's a pretty shitty thing to do, it cost $30 to go. That's a lot of money.

When I was growing up most cars had standard transmission, you had to use a clutch and shift gears. Now there's automatic transmission, the car shifts on it own. Cars get transmission problems. Same with electric windows all sorts of other gizmos on cars. Cars break down more easily when they're so complicated. One little glitch and there's problems. 

In the yin and yang of things, they're offering free things that really should be free, but they want to drive traffic to work out bugs, and perhaps they hope people become so addicted that they can't help but buy. I need to watch less streaming services that have commercials. I need use social media less, because they're going to eventually monetize Bluesky more, the same way Ben and Jerry's got big enough to sell out, and they lose their social mission. They even try to keep it a while after selling out, but recently one of them stepped away, too frustrated by not doing more. REM was notorious for saying no, Stipe didn't want to talk to Letterman, but I've heard their songs on a car commercial. You hold out longer for the highest price but everyone sells out. 

So enjoy golden ages of TV or internet or social media, but don't expect it to last forever. 

People in charge don't want things to work. I was reading about how JustWatch just dropped Tubi from their list. Probably because finding free movies hurts business, and the people who make the website are sponsored by services that charge people. The idealism of the internet has faded to capitalist enshitification. Good reason to get offline and watch some leaves blow in the wind outside. Little girl who was my daughter's friend in Kindergarten, was glued to her device at the park, and didn't walk over to my daughter to say hello. Screen zombie. 

No comments:

Post a Comment