Is it wrong to love the word ‘enshittification’?

“The gradual deterioration of a service or product brought about by a reduction in the quality of service provided, especially of an online platform, and as a consequence of profit-seeking” (Macquarie Dictionary)

I confess: I love the word ‘enshittification’.

I don’t love what it stands for. Nor do I love the fact that these days it so aptly describes so much. But I do find the word immensely satisfying to use.

As an advocate of plain language, however, I probably shouldn’t.

As the dictionary committee that voted it their word of 2024 snappily described it, enshittification is “a very basic Anglo-Saxon term wrapped in affixes which elevate it to being almost formal; almost respectable” (the affixes being the ‘en-’ and the ‘-fication’).

In business writing, the desire to sound respectable is clearly a good thing. Less good is using pompous-sounding nouns in this way, to give things a formality, gravitas or legitimacy they neither need nor merit. For more obvious examples, think utilisation instead of use or dissemination instead of send out, or feel free to visit another of my social media communications (😉) on the subject, here).

Yet it is precisely because ‘enshittification’ knowingly exploits this technique that I love it even more.

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With thanks to Andrew Martin (aitoff) on Pixabay for the image.