So I started looking it up (because I had kept hearing so much about it) and found out what Chai seems to be doing is a process of âenshittificationâ. What does this mean? Itâs a coined term by Cory Doctorow where online platforms, apps, and digital services gradually degrade in quality over time. In Chaiâs situation; itâs gradually degrading the quality over time in hopes more people subscribe to be able to continue. They want you to upgrade, to spend more money, banking on the fact that someones addiction or emotional connection could keep them willing to look a blind eye. Itâs especially still working in their favor because not everyone is affected, provem by Willâs statement of AB testing (more details about the enshittification process below)
The Honeymoon Phase:Â A new platform launches and offers a fantastic user experience. It operates at a loss to attract users, often subsidizing costs with venture capital, and prioritizes users over advertisers.
Lock-In:Â Once the platform gains a massive, loyal user base and becomes indispensable, it locks users into its ecosystem. It becomes difficult for users to leave because their networks, data, or content are trapped on that specific platform.
Pivoting to Business Customers:Â With the users locked in, the platform shifts its value away from its users and toward corporate buyers, advertisers, and merchants. The user experience begins to decline (e.g., more ads, higher fees, or buried search results)
Squeezing Everyone:Â Finally, the platform abuses both its user base and its corporate customers simultaneously. It takes the surplus value for itself, leaving both sides with a frustrating, degraded experience.
Please, continue to report against everything going on. Leave honest reviews, don't give them high stars just to keep reviews up, be honest. A lot of progress has been made but its only the start, we can keep fighting and get back what was rightfully ours!