Breaking Free.
In the new report Breaking Free: Pathways to a fair technological future, the Norwegian Consumer Council has delved into enshittification and how to resist it. The report shows how this phenomenon affects both consumers and society at large, but that it is possible to turn the tide. Together with more than 70 consumer groups and other actors in Europe and the US, we are sending letter to policymakers in the EU/EEA, UK and the US.
Unchecked capitalism is just as bad as communism. Capitalism kept in check by proper regulations is good. That demands a well functioning democracy however, and is unfortunately quite rare.
It occurred to me that what the US and even UK call capitalism is a lie, ie. their system is not capitalism. IIRC “market forces” and “equal chances” somehow play a central role in the economic definition of it. In reality these forces are distorted by tariffs, subsidies, nepotism, legalized extortion and the general repression of equal chances.
Edit: forgot to mention subsidies
I think what you are seeing is that these distilled, ideologically pure philosophies don’t seem to be able to exist outside of laboratory conditions. You can tell because none of them have ever been created at any scale or length of time in the real world in anything but name. The real world is too complex for these overly simplified, supposedly self-correcting systems that solve and account for everything, be it capitalism, socialism, communism, anarchism, whatever. As much as the human mind loves a simple solution, it turns out that really complex problems like getting everyone to get along together often require more complex solutions.
“In my opinion, isms are not good.” – Ferris Beuller
And solid intitutions and regulations.