EnshittificationEnshittification
What it's about
Cory Doctorow, the writer and activist who coined the word 'enshittification', explains why online platforms like Facebook, Amazon and Google get worse over time: first they're good to users, then they exploit users to please business customers, then they squeeze everyone to enrich themselves. He proposes ways to fight back.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It's angry, funny and clarifying.
You'll love it if you liked
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
Doppelganger
Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay AttentionGood to know
It's polemical.
By the numbers
- Readers48 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller38 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On our reserve shelf: it's well reviewed, but isn't currently a prize winner, a lifetime bestseller or a book everyone's talking about, so we don't rank it. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Thought-provoking, Gripping
More by Cory Doctorow
If you like this, read next
The Tainted Cup
A Drop of Corruption
The Will of the Many
Framed in Death
The Martian
Gideon the NinthExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Enshittification worth reading?
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. Its Must-Read Score is 64.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Enshittification about?
Cory Doctorow, the writer and activist who coined the word 'enshittification', explains why online platforms like Facebook, Amazon and Google get worse over time: first they're good to users, then they exploit users to please business customers, then they squeeze everyone to enrich themselves. He proposes ways to fight back.
How long does it take to read Enshittification?
About 9 hours (352 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Enshittification?
If you liked it, try The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff, Doppelganger by Naomi Klein or Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention by Johann Hari.