Norwegian Consumer Council Campaign Addresses Digital Platform Deterioration

The Norwegian Consumer Council, alongside 70 global organizations, has launched a campaign targeting the decline in quality of digital products and services, termed 'enshittification.' This concept, coined by Canadian author Cory Doctorow in 2022, describes a pattern where platforms initially attract users with free offerings, then monetize them, and ultimately exploit their dependency. The campaign's report details how major platforms intentionally degrade services, benefit from network effects, and acquire competitors, leading to reduced user satisfaction. It argues that the concentration of power in a few giant platforms is not inevitable and suggests remedies like promoting competition through open standards and enforcing antitrust laws. The initiative highlights how artificial intelligence exacerbates these issues, such as through frustrating chatbots or low-quality AI-generated content.