Enshittification: Difference between revisions

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===Switching barriers===

Enshittified platforms that act as intermediaries can act as both a monopoly on services and a ~~monopsony~~ on customers, as high switching barriers prevent either from leaving even when better alternatives technically exist. These barriers can be intentionally put in place - such as restricting the user's ability to transfer data or communicate between platforms - or unintentional, such as a platform's userbase being so large that it naturally makes it near impossible for users or partners to find equivalent engagement on an alternative platform.

Enshittified platforms that act as intermediaries can act as both a monopoly on services and a monopoly on customers, as high switching barriers prevent either from leaving even when better alternatives technically exist. These barriers can be intentionally put in place - such as restricting the user's ability to transfer data or communicate between platforms - or unintentional, such as a platform's userbase being so large that it naturally makes it near impossible for users or partners to find equivalent engagement on an alternative platform.

An example of this would be a long-time eBay seller hoping to leave the site for an alternative with lower fees (such as eBay's competitors, like Etsy or Mercari). They might first encounter issues migrating all of their listings over to the new platform, a process that could be tedious. Their feedback history will certainly not carry over to the new platform, so buyers are initially less likely to view them as trustworthy, potentially impacting sales. Lastly, the alternative platform likely has a vastly smaller user base than eBay, so, despite any potential benefits, the seller is less likely to be successful on the new platform than on eBay.

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 ===Switching barriers===
-Enshittified platforms that act as intermediaries can act as both a monopoly on services and a monopsony on customers, as high switching barriers prevent either from leaving even when better alternatives technically exist. These barriers can be intentionally put in place - such as restricting the user's ability to transfer data or communicate between platforms - or unintentional, such as a platform's userbase being so large that it naturally makes it near impossible for users or partners to find equivalent engagement on an alternative platform.
+Enshittified platforms that act as intermediaries can act as both a monopoly on services and a monopoly on customers, as high switching barriers prevent either from leaving even when better alternatives technically exist. These barriers can be intentionally put in place - such as restricting the user's ability to transfer data or communicate between platforms - or unintentional, such as a platform's userbase being so large that it naturally makes it near impossible for users or partners to find equivalent engagement on an alternative platform.
 An example of this would be a long-time eBay seller hoping to leave the site for an alternative with lower fees (such as eBay's competitors, like Etsy or Mercari). They might first encounter issues migrating all of their listings over to the new platform, a process that could be tedious. Their feedback history will certainly not carry over to the new platform, so buyers are initially less likely to view them as trustworthy, potentially impacting sales. Lastly, the alternative platform likely has a vastly smaller user base than eBay, so, despite any potential benefits, the seller is less likely to be successful on the new platform than on eBay.