Campaign highlights risks of profit-driven digital platforms

A global campaign led by the Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC) has drawn attention to the decline in quality across digital platforms, a phenomenon widely referred to as ‘enshitification’, in which services deteriorate over time as companies prioritise monetisation over user experience.

The initiative has gained momentum through a viral video and coordinated advocacy efforts across multiple regions.

Inshitification is a term coined by journalist Cory Doctorow that describes a pattern in which platforms initially serve users well, then shift towards extracting value from both users and business partners.

In practice, it often results in increased advertising, paywalls, and reduced functionality, with platforms leveraging user dependence to introduce less favourable conditions.

More than 70 advocacy groups across the EU, the US and Norway have urged policymakers to take stronger action, arguing that declining competition and market concentration allow platforms to degrade services without losing users.

Network effects and high switching costs further limit consumer choice, making it difficult to move to alternative platforms even when dissatisfaction grows.

Existing frameworks, such as the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act, aim to address some of these issues by promoting interoperability, transparency, and accountability.

However, experts argue that enforcement remains too slow and insufficient to deter harmful practices, suggesting that stronger regulatory intervention will be necessary to restore balance between consumers, platforms, and competition in the digital economy.

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