82 upvotes, 3 direct replies (showing 3)
View submission: An Update Regarding Reddit’s API
Every dev that considers building on someone else's platform (especially this new "Reddit Developer Platform") should understand the concept of Enshitification[1].
1: https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys
tl;dr services are good for users until the users are locked in, then they're good to vendors (in this case devs) until the vendors are locked in.
Then, after everyone is locked in, they stop making the service good, and all excess value is extracted for the shareholders/executives. After all, it's not like the vendors can leave, their livelihood depends on it. And users want those vendors, so they'll stick around as the pot is slowly raised to a boil.
Comment by iamthatis at 18/04/2023 at 18:00 UTC
48 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I'm not sure TikTok is a great example given that it's never been a developer friendly platform. Reddit is the complete opposite, for much of its existence there wasn't even an official app, third party apps were built and benefitted Reddit greatly.
In fact they still very much do, I'd see your argument about enshitification and raise you a great TED Talk by Malcolm Gladwell[1] that talks about how giving users options that suit their preferences is incredibly powerful.
1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIiAAhUeR6Y
Comment by AnotherDixieFlatline at 05/06/2023 at 18:40 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Every dev that considers building on someone else's platform (especially this new "Reddit Developer Platform") should understand the concept of Enshitification
Holy shit, this is a very good essay on how tech platforms work.
Comment by Stanazolmao at 09/06/2023 at 07:03 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Good article, learned a lot from that.