Something is wrong on the Internet
Mounting frustration with the “enshittification” of the internet and streaming services drives a wide-ranging debate over whether capitalism itself, or simply weak regulation and misaligned incentives, are to blame for declining user experience. Commenters argue over the scalability and historical record of socialism versus regulated capitalism, the role of profit motives in everything from healthcare to Netflix, and how much responsibility lies with consumers who continue to choose the cheapest, lowest‑quality options. Some see hope in niche tools, indie production and user pushback; others conclude that as long as massive profits and data extraction dominate, most online and consumer services will keep getting worse.
Capitalism, Socialism, and System Scale
- Several comments argue capitalism is structurally misaligned with human well-being and “doesn’t need to be this bad,” pointing to alternatives often lumped under “socialism.”
- Others counter that socialism has never scaled sustainably beyond small-group dynamics (referencing Dunbar’s number) and that capitalism is “the least bad” large-scale system so far.
- There’s debate over whether capitalism can “evolve” (e.g., New Deal + healthcare) or whether it inherently rolls back reforms over time.
- Side thread disputes whether fascist Germany was meaningfully “socialist,” with conflict over the role of left parties vs conservatives in enabling Nazism.
Regulation vs Fundamental Critique
- One camp: capitalism is not the problem; weak or captured regulation is. Comparisons are made between highly regulated countries and the U.S.
- Another camp: failures of regulation, regulatory capture, and environmental damage show the system itself is flawed; “you can’t patch a fundamentally failed system.”
- Some see large public debt and non-linear scaling of government as core issues; others dismiss austerity and argue overspending talk is a distraction.
Streaming, TV Quality, and Content “Slop”
- Some say streaming has produced a “world-historic surplus” of high-quality series, with today’s baseline far above pre-streaming TV.
- Others find most streaming content padded, formulaic, and optimized for passive, phone-distracted watching; prestige shows are rare exceptions.
- Disagreement persists over whether viewers genuinely prefer “slop” or are funneled into it by business incentives.
Consumer Choice, Cheapness, and Inequality
- Multiple comments argue consumers repeatedly choose cheaper, worse options (ads, cramped flights, fast food), so companies rationally optimize for that.
- Counterpoint: people choose cheap options because wages are low and essentials are expensive; capitalism’s incentives create this constraint.
- A McDonald’s thought experiment questions whether many large-scale products would exist without the profit motive, given widespread dissatisfaction among owners, workers, and customers.
Enshittification, UX, and Ads
- Users cite concrete examples of dark patterns and degraded UX (app redesigns pushing ads, permissions changes breaking apps, cookie popups).
- Debate over whether complaining matters vs. only spending/canceling truly affecting outcomes.
- Some modest optimism: power users can move to better tools; indie and low-budget creators may increasingly bypass mainstream platforms.