Don't care if I end up naked in the woods siphoning Internet with a tin can, I will always try and encourage others to do so.

Well, I guess the prerogative is on the rest of us non-Americans to break unjust American IP laws to counteract the lack of enforcement of anti-trust laws, or make laws in other countries that better enforce competition laws on American companies.

I have a glimmer of hope that Europe is getting in gear somewhat for that.

I do like Cory's overall point about needing to think more of solidarity than individual choices, but I disagree on discounting them completely, those choices do carry a certain degree of importance as well in effecting systemic change. Saying, "well, society isn't changing, enshittification isn't going anywhere so I shouldn't bother changing my habits" won't get us anywhere. It has had real effects.

Things that start in the margins have the ability to get noticed by big players and then bring about change. A couple examples: Linux gaming is in a viable state that was unimaginable 8 years ago. The Canadian boycott of US products and travel has had a very measurable affect on US tourism and select industries, and has spread to other countries. Valve nor the Canadian government started either of those efforts, but they helped signal-boost and take concrete supportive actions when they see that even a small group of people independently have supported that change already.

EDITED TO MAKE THE TITLE MORE APPROPRIATE. The previous title of this post was "I need to tell you something unsatisfying: your personal consumption choices will not make a meaningful difference to the amount of enshittification you experience in your life" which was the slug line as it appeared in my mailing-list-to-RSS reader. Although this is the first paragraph of the linked essay, it does not do a good job of explaining the thrust of the essay, and some people (not you though) seem to be arguing with the title instead of the essay.

(Thanks to ski11erboi@lemmy.world for the heads up.)

END OF EDITED SECTION

Here's why you're getting enshittified: we deliberately decided to stop enforcing competition laws. As a result, companies formed monopolies and cartels. This means that they don't have to worry about losing your business or labor to a competitor, because they don't compete. It also means that they can handily capture their regulators, because they can easily agree on a set of policy priorities and use the billions they've amassed by not competing to capture their regulators. They can hold a whip hand over their formerly powerful tech workers, mass-firing them and terrorizing them out of any Tron-inspired conceits about "fighting for the user." Finally, they can use IP law to shut down anyone who makes technology that disenshittifies their offerings.

The great news is that he's on Mastodon, if you'd like to reach out: @pluralistic@mamot.fr

He might care a little about distributed services.

I read his article and won't read his book. I won't reach out to him. If he wants to engage better with people, he should try not starting with belittling people's efforts that they can do in there individual lives of which doesn't preclude anything they can do communally. I don't start with environmental or moral vegetarians and vegans with, "what you're doing will change nothing and not worth the effort. Join a animal rights organization. What you're doing now is weak." Just start with saying join an animal rights group and why they should framed not why what they're currently doing is a waste of effort but what else they could also be doing and how that can be effective

disagree.

• i stopped using most social media, and what little social media I do use now is FOSS like lemmy.

• I cancelled my youtubeTV subscription and now pirate all my media. Along with this I also stopped watching sports which have been greatly enshittified over my lifetime.

• I stopped using Plex (enshittifying) and switched to Jellyfin which is FOSS.

these actions have significantly reduced enshittification in my life. Not saying it's possible for everything, but sometimes there absolutely are non-enshittified alternatives.

he should try not starting with belittling people's efforts that they can do in there individual lives of which doesn't preclude anything they can do communally

“Do all this! Do more! You’ll make your life somewhat better, and in some cases, much better.”

disagree.

• i stopped using most social media, and what little social media I do use now is FOSS like lemmy.

• I cancelled my youtubeTV subscription and now pirate all my media. Along with this I also stopped watching sports which have been greatly enshittified over my lifetime.

• I stopped using Plex (enshittifying) and switched to Jellyfin which is FOSS.

these actions have significantly reduced enshittification in my life. Not saying it's possible for everything, but sometimes there absolutely are non-enshittified alternatives.

That's wonderful! It's good to diminish the amount of enshittification you experience in your life!

Enshittification, writ large, goes on regardless. The point of the essay is that avoiding it in your personal life is good (if sometimes tiresome, depending on the specifics of your life) and you should totally do that, but the root causes of enshittification can be defeated by organized collective action.

disagree.

• i stopped using most social media, and what little social media I do use now is FOSS like lemmy.

• I cancelled my youtubeTV subscription and now pirate all my media. Along with this I also stopped watching sports which have been greatly enshittified over my lifetime.

• I stopped using Plex (enshittifying) and switched to Jellyfin which is FOSS.

these actions have significantly reduced enshittification in my life. Not saying it's possible for everything, but sometimes there absolutely are non-enshittified alternatives.

Other counterpoint: good choices and not being an asshole make me happy.

And another: consumption and people being shitty are unrelated.

Your assessment is spot on.

If so, you’re not gonna have a lot of friends, which is a pretty shitty way to live.

Or you choose friends who will stay your friends even if you miss a concert???

EDITED TO MAKE THE TITLE MORE APPROPRIATE. The previous title of this post was "I need to tell you something unsatisfying: your personal consumption choices will not make a meaningful difference to the amount of enshittification you experience in your life" which was the slug line as it appeared in my mailing-list-to-RSS reader. Although this is the first paragraph of the linked essay, it does not do a good job of explaining the thrust of the essay, and some people (not you though) seem to be arguing with the title instead of the essay.

(Thanks to ski11erboi@lemmy.world for the heads up.)

END OF EDITED SECTION

Here's why you're getting enshittified: we deliberately decided to stop enforcing competition laws. As a result, companies formed monopolies and cartels. This means that they don't have to worry about losing your business or labor to a competitor, because they don't compete. It also means that they can handily capture their regulators, because they can easily agree on a set of policy priorities and use the billions they've amassed by not competing to capture their regulators. They can hold a whip hand over their formerly powerful tech workers, mass-firing them and terrorizing them out of any Tron-inspired conceits about "fighting for the user." Finally, they can use IP law to shut down anyone who makes technology that disenshittifies their offerings.

EDITED TO MAKE THE TITLE MORE APPROPRIATE. The previous title of this post was "I need to tell you something unsatisfying: your personal consumption choices will not make a meaningful difference to the amount of enshittification you experience in your life" which was the slug line as it appeared in my mailing-list-to-RSS reader. Although this is the first paragraph of the linked essay, it does not do a good job of explaining the thrust of the essay, and some people (not you though) seem to be arguing with the title instead of the essay.

(Thanks to ski11erboi@lemmy.world for the heads up.)

END OF EDITED SECTION

Here's why you're getting enshittified: we deliberately decided to stop enforcing competition laws. As a result, companies formed monopolies and cartels. This means that they don't have to worry about losing your business or labor to a competitor, because they don't compete. It also means that they can handily capture their regulators, because they can easily agree on a set of policy priorities and use the billions they've amassed by not competing to capture their regulators. They can hold a whip hand over their formerly powerful tech workers, mass-firing them and terrorizing them out of any Tron-inspired conceits about "fighting for the user." Finally, they can use IP law to shut down anyone who makes technology that disenshittifies their offerings.

The irony of posting this on Lemmy and not Reddit. lmao

This is not only very similar to my experience and entirely possible, but it's also extremely healthy mentally and, date I say, physically.

EDITED TO MAKE THE TITLE MORE APPROPRIATE. The previous title of this post was "I need to tell you something unsatisfying: your personal consumption choices will not make a meaningful difference to the amount of enshittification you experience in your life" which was the slug line as it appeared in my mailing-list-to-RSS reader. Although this is the first paragraph of the linked essay, it does not do a good job of explaining the thrust of the essay, and some people (not you though) seem to be arguing with the title instead of the essay.

(Thanks to ski11erboi@lemmy.world for the heads up.)

END OF EDITED SECTION

Here's why you're getting enshittified: we deliberately decided to stop enforcing competition laws. As a result, companies formed monopolies and cartels. This means that they don't have to worry about losing your business or labor to a competitor, because they don't compete. It also means that they can handily capture their regulators, because they can easily agree on a set of policy priorities and use the billions they've amassed by not competing to capture their regulators. They can hold a whip hand over their formerly powerful tech workers, mass-firing them and terrorizing them out of any Tron-inspired conceits about "fighting for the user." Finally, they can use IP law to shut down anyone who makes technology that disenshittifies their offerings.

I’m still going to buy the French and German glass jars with rubber seals I am eyeing for food storage, instead of anything involving plastic and silicone. Suck it.

EDITED TO MAKE THE TITLE MORE APPROPRIATE. The previous title of this post was "I need to tell you something unsatisfying: your personal consumption choices will not make a meaningful difference to the amount of enshittification you experience in your life" which was the slug line as it appeared in my mailing-list-to-RSS reader. Although this is the first paragraph of the linked essay, it does not do a good job of explaining the thrust of the essay, and some people (not you though) seem to be arguing with the title instead of the essay.

(Thanks to ski11erboi@lemmy.world for the heads up.)

END OF EDITED SECTION

Here's why you're getting enshittified: we deliberately decided to stop enforcing competition laws. As a result, companies formed monopolies and cartels. This means that they don't have to worry about losing your business or labor to a competitor, because they don't compete. It also means that they can handily capture their regulators, because they can easily agree on a set of policy priorities and use the billions they've amassed by not competing to capture their regulators. They can hold a whip hand over their formerly powerful tech workers, mass-firing them and terrorizing them out of any Tron-inspired conceits about "fighting for the user." Finally, they can use IP law to shut down anyone who makes technology that disenshittifies their offerings.

I disagree. Boycott works. These days, you vote with your money in a more efficient way than any election.
You seem to say the problem is politic. You know politics won't change things. So you're just saying it's not your problem anymore.
But the problem still exists.
The enshittification stays there.