Be Afraid: Cory Doctorow

This week, I highly recommend tuning into an eye-opening podcast episode featuring the work of an author I greatly admire—the mind behind the term "Enshittification."

In this episode, the host reads "The Reason You Can’t Buy a Car is the Same Reason Your Health Insurer Let Hackers Dox You," a compelling column from the latest edition of the Pluralistic newsletter. This piece delves into the monopolistic patterns where companies merge to dominate sectors, resulting in brittle, tangled IT systems that are vital to our nation’s infrastructure.

Just like Equifax's failures, the 737 Max disasters have plunged Boeing into a series of increasingly grim catastrophes. Each new disaster feels as inevitable as uncovering one structural nightmare after another in your home, ultimately revealing that your most valuable asset is a toxic liability.

Equifax, much like other monopolistic giants, isn't just a company—it's infrastructure. It began as a tool for racial, political, and sexual discrimination, collecting gossip to deny loans to marginalized groups. This episode is a must-listen, shedding light on the pervasive eshitification of our systems and exposing the deep-seated issues within our societal infrastructure. Don’t miss it.

Here it Here: