{"id":58315,"date":"2025-11-03T20:28:04","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T14:58:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=58315"},"modified":"2025-11-04T11:48:37","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T06:18:37","slug":"degradation-social-platforms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/03-11-2025\/degradation-social-platforms","title":{"rendered":"Degradation of Social Platforms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Polity and Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>\u2018Enshittification\u2019<\/strong> is a term increasingly being used to <strong>describe how your digital experiences, services, and transactions have become worse over time.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Enshittification?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In 2022, the Canada-born author and activist <strong>Cory Doctorow<\/strong> coined the term \u201censhittification.\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It refers to the <strong>systematic decline in quality and fairness <\/strong>of digital platforms due to <strong>profit-maximizing behaviour by tech companies.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It occurs when platforms:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Start by prioritizing users to attract a large base.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Shift focus to business customers (advertisers, sellers, partners) to maximize revenue.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Finally exploit both users and business clients to extract maximum profit \u2014 leading to decline or collapse.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How Platforms Use Enshittification?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Meta-owned Facebook:<\/strong> It was originally meant to serve users and help them stay connected, users are now locked in along with advertisers and publishers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Instagram <\/strong>often crowd the user\u2019s feed <strong>&nbsp;with advertisements and recommended content <\/strong>without consent.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>YouTube has degraded its free experience <\/strong>with multiple unskippable ads pushing users to opt for its ad-free YouTube Premium subscription service.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>X (formerly Twitter)<\/strong> where verified noteworthy figures could connect with audiences.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Now, <strong>free blue tick verification<\/strong> could be bought by anyone which drastically impacts <strong>Authentic communication.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Google\u2019s browser<\/strong> now uses Generative AI-powered overviews that display AI-generated summaries from various sources first, often increasing the risk of errors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Data monopoly:<\/strong> Platforms manipulate data for profit rather than user welfare.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Distortion of competition:<\/strong> Dominant platforms squeeze smaller competitors by favouring their own services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Loss of trust:<\/strong> Users doubt authenticity and neutrality of digital services, as algorithms manipulate what users see, limiting choice and agency.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Digital divide deepens: <\/strong>Quality information and ad-free experiences become a privilege.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Privacy and Data Exploitation: <\/strong>Excessive data collection and tracking are used to maximise ad revenue.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Manipulation: <\/strong>Search results and recommendations become biased towards the platform\u2019s own interests.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Digital Fatigue:&nbsp; <\/strong>Constant ads, algorithmic manipulation, and reduced authenticity create frustration. Users disengage or experience \u201cdigital burnout.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Long-term Platform Instability: <\/strong>When platforms overexploit both users and businesses, they eventually lose credibility and collapse \u2014 a \u201cdigital decay\u201d cycle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Digital Competition Bill (Draft, 2024): <\/strong>It aims to prevent anti-competitive practices by Big Tech firms and seeks to curb self-preferencing, data misuse, and gatekeeping by large digital platforms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023: <\/strong>It establishes data protection rights for users and mandates consent-based data processing and penalties for misuse.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Competition (Amendment) Act, 2023:<\/strong> It strengthens powers of the Competition Commission of India (CCI).\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Targets digital market monopolies and enables faster investigation into anti-competitive conduct.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021: <\/strong>Mandates grievance redressal, traceability, and transparency in content moderation. It also ensures platform accountability for user harm or misinformation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/24-06-2022\/open-network-for-digital-commerce-ondc\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/24-06-2022\/open-network-for-digital-commerce-ondc\">Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)<\/a>: <\/strong>It is<strong> <\/strong>designed to democratize e-commerce by creating an open, interoperable network.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Digital India Initiative: <\/strong>Focuses on inclusive digital access, cybersecurity, and digital literacy \u2014 empowering citizens to make informed digital choices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>To curb enshittification, governments must strengthen digital competition and data protection laws, ensuring transparency and accountability in algorithms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Platforms should adopt user-centric design principles and promote ethical AI practices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Encouraging open-source alternatives and interoperable digital ecosystems can reduce monopoly control.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Finally, enhancing digital literacy and consumer awareness will empower users to make informed choices online.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/technology\/are-your-favourite-social-platforms-being-degraded\/article70228459.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Context<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">\u2018Enshittification\u2019 is a term increasingly being used to describe how your digital experiences, services, and transactions have become worse over time.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>What is Enshittification?<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">In 2022, the Canada-born author and activist Cory Doctorow coined the term \u201censhittification.\u201d\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">It refers to the systematic decline in quality and fairness of digital platforms due to profit-maximizing behaviour by tech companies.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/03-11-2025\/degradation-social-platforms\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58315"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58383,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58315\/revisions\/58383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}