India, Dec. 2 -- There was a time-nostalgic, sepia-toned, and almost mythical-when social media feeds overflowed with sunset photos, cheerful selfies, and the occasional unsolicited monologue on politics, gluten, or the meaning of existence. Today, the digital amphitheatre feels strangely quiet. Timelines that once brimmed with performative enthusiasm now resemble deserted railway platforms. And before we congratulate ourselves for having collectively achieved spiritual detachment, it is necessary to diagnose the real ailment: enshittification.
Coined by digital critic Cory Doctorow, this colourful term captures the slow, almost biological decay of online platforms. It describes the predictable cycle in which platforms move from serving us...