this post was submitted on 21 Sep 2023
210 points (98.6% liked)

homeassistant

15419 readers
38 users here now

Home Assistant is open source home automation that puts local control and privacy first.
Powered by a worldwide community of tinkerers and DIY enthusiasts.

Home Assistant can be self-installed on ProxMox, Raspberry Pi, or even purchased pre-installed: Home Assistant: Installation

Discussion of Home-Assistant adjacent topics is absolutely fine, within reason.
If you're not sure, DM @GreatAlbatross@feddit.uk

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

cross-posted from: https://derp.foo/post/250090

There is a discussion on Hacker News, but feel free to comment here as well.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] pjhenry1216@kbin.social 21 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (5 children)

Can we stop the overuse and over-generalization of "enshitification" which Doctorow had given very explicit meaning to in regards to social networks? It does not simply mean commoditization which is not quite the same but almost synonymous with 'race to the bottom's in regards of trying to increase revenue while simultaneously decreasing costs.

Edit: I'll admit narrowing to "social networks" is a bit too narrow, but the point still stands that it's for two way platforms where there are "two markets." Phillips Hue does not have a two sided market.

[–] CluckN@lemmy.world 44 points 2 years ago

The enshitification of enshitification

[–] WhyIDie@kbin.social 8 points 2 years ago
[–] MotoAsh@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago (2 children)

There is still value in calling out the exploitation. It might not be as shitty as leveraging different customer pools, but it absolutely is the same exact business mindset that creates enshittification.

I don't think it's wrong to at least associate the two things even if "enshittification" remains more about gearing systems to exploit customers vs basic direct exploitation of customers.

[–] pjhenry1216@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

But their entirely different processes. One is exploiting one market vs the other. Here it wouldn't necessarily be exploiting a market, but destroying value of a free service. If you're worried about personal info being the exploitation, it's going to be very limited and likely already in place. An account structure is usually more the first move toward monetizing the service directly and enabling the ability between free and premium services. That's still shitty, but for entirely different reasons. So I just don't like seeing the original word lose all meaning whatsoever beyond its root word. It basically guts it of all of its nuance and importance and just turns it into a noun form of taking something and making it shitty. We don't need to do that.

[–] MotoAsh@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I don't think they're entirely different. Enshittification is just a specific type. Yes, of course it has distinguishing qualities or we'd be having a totally different convo.

IMO, it's more important to realize enshittification is not a new development! It's just way, WAY more obvious now that the ruling class has allowed effective monopolies to rise again. When only one or two companies control an entire market, their shitty tactics become way, way more obvious and painful for consumers.

[–] okamiueru@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Nah. He called it that, but the word follows grammatical* structure well enough that it can be easily understood and used in a more general sense. "the gradual increase in which something is shit" = "enshitification".

Fits for what he wanted to use it for. Fits for a whole lot more. One cannot gatekeep language. Whatever is the most effective way to transfer a concept from one mind as to be similarly understood in someone else's, ultimately is language.

* maybe not grammar, but you get what I mean

[–] Fungah@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

Prescriptive vs. descriptive grammar.

Descriptive grammar describes language, and tries to understand the structure and usage of words and sentences. Prescriptive grammar dictates how it should be used.

[–] JokeDeity@lemm.ee 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Words change. He came up with a really good one and people ran with it. It no longer means what he initially made it to mean. That's how all language in all of the world works.

[–] Corgana@startrek.website 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

You're saying that if someone wants to descibe enshittification they need to invent a word for it?

[–] JokeDeity@lemm.ee -1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Did you reply to the right guy? That's definitely not what I said.

[–] Corgana@startrek.website 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

You said that the definition of enshittification has changed since January, meaning that if someone wanted to describe "the process formerly known as enshittification" they'd presumeably need a new word, right?

I not disagreeing with you that words change over time, I'm just trying to keep up!

[–] JokeDeity@lemm.ee 0 points 2 years ago

No. I hope that answers your question.