Documentation The Machine - Celestin Albers

The Position Paper
When writing my position paper, I focused on the
influence and strategies of big tech companies.
My paper delves into the evolving relationship
between humans and technology, highlighting a
significant shift. Initially, technology served
as a tool at our disposal; however, it is
increasingly exerting control over our lives.
I explored the strategies employed by big tech
firms. These companies initially treat consumers
like royalty, offering goods and services at or
below cost to eliminate competition and dominate
the market. Once they have achieved market
dominance, the dynamic shifts, and users are
gradually turned into products. This
transformation is facilitated through extensive
data collection and consumer profiling (a
practice commonly referred to as surveillance
capitalism) as well as through the gradual
increase of service fees.
This process, known as "enshitification",
involves cornering a market through a technology
platform and then extracting maximum value from
it. This phenomenon can be observed in various
sectors: ride-hailing services (Uber), food
delivery platforms (Just Eat Takeaway and
Deliveroo), and online video streaming (YouTube
and Netflix) are just a few examples where
enshitification has already taken place.
By examining these developments, my position
paper sheds light on the underlying mechanisms
and consequences of big tech's growing
influence, urging readers to critically consider
the implications of our increasingly dependent
relationship with technology.
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