TL;DR: Coined by Cory Doctorow, "Enshittification" describes the death spiral of platforms. For brands, it’s a warning: the moment you stop serving the user to serve the metric, you’re already dying. At Red Clay Media, we don’t chase ghosts in the machine; we build brand ecosystems that platforms can’t kill.
The internet in 2026 is a graveyard of "good enough." You’ve seen it: your Instagram feed is 70% "Suggested" junk, your Google search results are a minefield of AI-generated SEO sludge, and the platforms you once loved feel like they’re actively rooting for your downfall.
Welcome to the era of enshittification. If you’re a brand manager or a business owner, this isn't just a cynical buzzword. It is a fundamental shift in the digital economy that is currently eating your marketing ROI for breakfast. But here’s the Red Clay reality check: while everyone else is complaining about the algorithm, we’re busy building lifeboats.
The Three Stages of Enshittification: A Descent into Decay
Cory Doctorow didn't just name a trend; he diagnosed a terminal illness. To survive it, you have to understand how the cycle works—and where you currently sit in the line of fire.
Stage One: The Honeymoon (Good to Users).
Think back to early TikTok or Uber. The platform is subsidized by venture capital. It’s fast, it’s cheap, and the organic reach is intoxicating. They give you the world for free because they need your data and your presence to create a moat.
Stage Two: The Bait and Switch (Good to Advertisers).
Once the users are locked in, the platform pivots. They start squeezing the users to please the brands. Suddenly, your organic reach drops, and you’re told that if you want to reach the audience you already built, you have to pay for the privilege.
Stage Three: The Final Squeeze (Good to Shareholders).
This is where we are in 2026. The platform now squeezes the brands too. Fees go up, ad placements become intrusive, and the actual "value" of the service hits rock bottom. The platform becomes a "pile of shit" (Doctorow’s words, not ours) because it is harvesting every last cent of value before the inevitable collapse.
Recent data shows that the average organic reach on major social platforms has plummeted to less than 1.1%. You aren't "marketing"; you're shouting into a void that you’re paying to stand in.
Why "Algorithm-Chasing" is a Losing Strategy
Most agencies will tell you to "pivot to video" or "optimise for the latest update." At Red Clay Media, we tell you to stop being a parasite on a dying host. Chasing the algorithm is like building a house on a sinkhole. When Google launches its latest SGE (Search Generative Experience) update, or X (formerly Twitter) decides to prioritize paid subscribers over quality content, your "strategy" evaporates overnight.
The AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) ShiftIn 2026, people don’t just search; they ask. Whether it’s ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity, users want answers, not a list of blue links. If your content exists solely to tick an SEO box, the AI models will scrape it, summarise it, and never give you the click.
We focus on Authority and Intent. Instead of gaming the system, we create "Zero-Click" content that establishes your brand as the definitive source. If you provide the most value, the AI models have no choice but to cite you, and the humans will seek you out directly. You don't need a platform if you own the conversation.
The Cost of Churn: How Bad UX and "Shitty" Content Kill Brands
Enshittification isn't just a platform problem; it’s contagious. When brands get desperate for reach, they start producing "shitty" content. They use cheap AI to churn out 50 blogs a week. They use dark patterns to trick users into clicking.
The Result? Brand Decay.
Trust Erosion: 71% of UK consumers say they will leave a brand permanently if they feel their data is being misused or if they are served irrelevant, low-quality content.
The UX Tax: For every £1 spent on improving user experience, the ROI is typically £100. Conversely, "enshittified" UX—pop-ups, gated content that shouldn't be gated, and slow load times—increases churn by up to 400%.
How to Survive 2026: The Red Clay Manifesto
We don't do "fine." We don't do "filler." If you want to survive the decay, you need to pivot to a Community-First model.
- Own Your Audience: Move your "rented" social followers to "owned" channels (email, SMS, private communities).
- Quality over Velocity: One "Incredible" piece of content is worth more than 1,000 "Okay" ones.
- Human-Centric Design: If a human doesn't want to read it, don't publish it. The bots are smart enough now to know when you're faking it.
- The bottom line: The platforms are dying, but your brand doesn't have to. Red Clay Media builds digital strategies that outlast the cycles of decay. Let’s stop chasing the "shit" and start building something real.
