It does make sense. Me paying $200 for medical care that used to cost me $100 is certainly making that GDP number go up. Snark aside, it's actually a great little insight to why we can't take...
It does make sense. Me paying $200 for medical care that used to cost me $100 is certainly making that GDP number go up.
Snark aside, it's actually a great little insight to why we can't take numbers at face value and assume 'arrow goes up === good.'
The cost comes from someone somewhere. See also: enshitification. I argue that the word is too limited in scope by Doctorow's usage. It exists throughout capitalism, whenever a business runs out...
I argue that the word is too limited in scope by Doctorow's usage. It exists throughout capitalism, whenever a business runs out of revenue sources to exploit. This is because there's always the revenue source of last resort: cannibalizing the value of the product/service you provide.
For any business with adequate monopolistic power, they can cannibalize their own offerings to generate more value (read: increase profit with little change in revenue).
Sure, revenue likely still increases. But profit can increase coincidentally and in greater factors by offering less for the same amount.
Need healthcare? Sure. Everyone does. Now just pay for less or charge more for it. The business wins. The shareholders win. The customers lose.
Now do this for every business that provides some either "unique" or inelastic offering.
I suggest that there's another term that is the enabler for enshitification: crony capitalism.
Moneyed interests have performed so much regulatory capture that the difference between GOP and Democrat in this context seems to be mostly about which businesses they choose to vilify and prosecute and which get a free pass.
We don't read about much anti-trust these days, do we? Is it because they aren't discussed enough or because government doesn't pursue them as often.
That crony capitalism revolving door is powerful. How often do you see a politician or general/admiral/colonel/captain "retire" to lobbying or the C-level of a defense contracting firm?
I'm blurring the line here a little. But enshitification is not new and has not occurred in a vacuum. It's just the bleeding edge of crony capitalism.
There are people walking around now who would have died of cancer before. (Or COVID.) And at the same time, there's lots of wasted effort. I'm reminded of the quote that "half of all advertising...
There are people walking around now who would have died of cancer before. (Or COVID.) And at the same time, there's lots of wasted effort.
I'm reminded of the quote that "half of all advertising is wasted, but I have never been able to figure out which half."
The bright side of waste, if that's what it is, is that there's lots of room for improvement. As programmers know, major performance improvements can come from figuring out which half.
It does make sense. Me paying $200 for medical care that used to cost me $100 is certainly making that GDP number go up.
Snark aside, it's actually a great little insight to why we can't take numbers at face value and assume 'arrow goes up === good.'
The cost comes from someone somewhere.
See also: enshitification.
I argue that the word is too limited in scope by Doctorow's usage. It exists throughout capitalism, whenever a business runs out of revenue sources to exploit. This is because there's always the revenue source of last resort: cannibalizing the value of the product/service you provide.
For any business with adequate monopolistic power, they can cannibalize their own offerings to generate more value (read: increase profit with little change in revenue).
Sure, revenue likely still increases. But profit can increase coincidentally and in greater factors by offering less for the same amount.
Need healthcare? Sure. Everyone does. Now just pay for less or charge more for it. The business wins. The shareholders win. The customers lose.
Now do this for every business that provides some either "unique" or inelastic offering.
I suggest that there's another term that is the enabler for enshitification: crony capitalism.
Moneyed interests have performed so much regulatory capture that the difference between GOP and Democrat in this context seems to be mostly about which businesses they choose to vilify and prosecute and which get a free pass.
We don't read about much anti-trust these days, do we? Is it because they aren't discussed enough or because government doesn't pursue them as often.
That crony capitalism revolving door is powerful. How often do you see a politician or general/admiral/colonel/captain "retire" to lobbying or the C-level of a defense contracting firm?
I'm blurring the line here a little. But enshitification is not new and has not occurred in a vacuum. It's just the bleeding edge of crony capitalism.
https://archive.is/nR7xb
There are people walking around now who would have died of cancer before. (Or COVID.) And at the same time, there's lots of wasted effort.
I'm reminded of the quote that "half of all advertising is wasted, but I have never been able to figure out which half."
The bright side of waste, if that's what it is, is that there's lots of room for improvement. As programmers know, major performance improvements can come from figuring out which half.