Ep. 29: The age of ensh*ttification
with Cory Doctorow, author and journalist
Cory Doctorow, author, journalist, and activist, believes that the internet — once a space of promise and connection — has been systematically degraded by corporate greed. In his new book “Ensh*ttification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It,” he details how the platforms we depend on have become more expensive and more exploitative.
In our conversation, Cory Doctorow shares how this process unfolds, first platforms serve users, then they exploit businesses to make money, and finally they squeeze both to please shareholders. Together, we explore how this pattern has reshaped everything from social media and streaming to online shopping and even our smart cars. Is this why our digital lives now feel so constrained and costly?
About Cory Doctorow:
Cory Doctorow is a blogger, journalist, and activist. For more than twenty years, he has worked with the Electronic Frontier Foundation on campaigns to safeguard and further our human rights online. He was coeditor of the weblog Boing Boing for nineteen years and now maintains a daily(ish) newsletter at Pluralistic.net. He has written more than thirty books, including nonfiction books, many science fiction novels, collections of short stories and essays, young adult novels, graphic novels, and even a picture book. Born in Toronto, he now lives in Burbank, California.
Follow Cory Doctorow on Twitter @doctorow and Medium @doctorow
Cory’s book “Ensh*ttification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It,” is available wherever you get your books!
