ENSHITTIFICATION

"Enshittification" was coined by author Cory Doctorow in 2022, to describe the downward spiral of digital platforms (like TikTok and Facebook). It starts with great service for users, shifts to value for business customers (e.g., creators/advertisers), and finally becomes extractive for everyone while shareholders profit, making the service overall "shittier." (Think: endless ads, buried friend posts, or paywalled features.)

In texting and chat, its usage is quite direct and often ironic: it's used to call out a noticeable decline in a service’s quality ("The latest update is peak enshittification"), or broadly critique any system or product that has clearly sold out ("This games's getting totally enshittified"). During 2025, the use of "enshittification" broadened from specifically digital platforms to encompass general societal or product deterioration ("The new boss is totally enshittifying this job," "They new online system has completely enshittified the booking process"), solidifying its place as a popular slang term.

The word "shit" is used for emphasis and to express emotions such as frustration and surprise. Due to its vulgarity, it has a rebellious nature and an attention-grabbing quality. Unfortunately though, terms with the word shit are often idiomatic (i.e., not literal translations) and difficult to understand. However, fear not! We've got you covered. Check out our unique glossary of "shit".

"Enshittification" is fundamentally a noun. It belongs to the part of speech that names a concept, process, or thing. You can tell because it ends with the noun-forming suffix -ification, which means "the act or process of making" (as in "purification" or "simplification"). It is used to refer to the process of a platform or service degrading over time.