The Plan is to Make the Internet Worse. Forever. | Aaron Bastani Meets Cory Doctorow

Did you know that the standard of Google searches has actually gotten worse over recent years? Once you think about it, it makes sense. Highly effective search means fewer searches overall. And fewer searches mean less ad revenue. The financial basis of Alphabet, which is Google’s parent company, is, of course, digital advertising. Which means that undermining the quality of the company’s cornerstone product actually makes money. That’s how crazy the modern internet has become. There are, as the saying goes, many such cases. Cory Doctorow, this week’s Downstream guest, has a word for this phenomenon: ‘Ensh*tification’. He’s written a book about it, too. In front of a live audience at EartH Hackney, Aaron Bastani sat down with him to discuss it, and the implications of an internet that just gets worse. Ensh*tification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What To Do About It explains the destruction of the internet by monopolistic, multi-trillion dollar forces. Silicon Valley, once a source for technologically infused optimism, is now destroying the information space we all share. The internet still brings immeasurable value, of course, but the cost-benefit for society and users is increasingly up for debate. And things are only headed in one direction. Over 90 minutes, Aaron and Cory discuss the book’s most eye-opening case studies, unpicking the insidious tactics employed by the tech giants, and revealing just how unscrupulous these companies are. Their end goal is, in many ways, at odds with a anything that resembles a civilised, democratic society. ​ 00:00 Intro 04:21 Is the Internet Getting Worse? 09:11 Manipulating Stock Prices 13:07 The Death of Competition Law & the Rise of Monopolies 20:14 Facebook: An Ensh*tification Case Study 25:32 Jedi Blue: Illegal Collusion 27:45 How Amazon Rigs the Game 32:30 Is Big Tech Behind Inflation? 37:03 Uber and the Giant Toy at the Fair 40:03 Why Capitalists Hate Capitalism 45:40 Boobytrapped Technology 49:28 Time for a Post-American Internet 54:59 The Internet Is Swallowing the Real World 59:12:10 The Solution? Seizing the Means of Computation 1:04:48 Open Source Versus Free Software 1:07:50 Is Everything Getting Worse, or Just Big Tech? 1:11:00 How to Stop Big Tech From Capturing Policy? 1:15:20 How to Build Solidarity Among High and Low-Paid Tech Workers Support our work: http://novara.media/support Buy Novara Media merch: https://shop.novaramedia.com/

Americoned - Inside America’s New Labor Uprising - 4K film

In recent decades as productivity has increased, compensation for the American worker has not. Politicians on both sides of the aisle have created a protection racket for the rich, impeding unionization in the process. Despite these challenges, two workers lead a movement to unionize for the first time at one of the world's largest companies, setting up a true David vs. Goliath story. Directors: Sean Claffey

Japan and Taiwan Companies Flee China Together! Canon Shuts Factory, Foxconn Lays Off 100,000

 

In 2025, geopolitical tensions between China and Japan, along with the strategic rivalry between China and the US, have triggered a wave of Japanese and Taiwanese companies leaving mainland China. On November 21, Canon’s sudden shutdown of its Zhongshan factory marked a key moment in this trend. Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @chinaobserver0   #chinaobserver

 

Shanghai, With 25M People, Turns Into a Ghost Town—Delivery Riders Sleeping on the Streets at 5 AM

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This is a street scene in Shanghai, taken by a user at 5 a.m. on November 24th. The sidewalks are full of delivery drivers sleeping on the streets. Some users are asking, are there really that many late-night customers ordering food? Or are they just working overtime? Join this channel to get access to perks:

 

Americans Finally Say NO To Consumerism Christmas! 

Why Americans are Boycotting Black Friday in 2025. Priced out of Christmas The Collapse of the American Economy is HERE. The Cost of Living in America is Making People Give up and the Holiday season is upon us all the while we are in one of the biggest economic crises/recessions in our lifetime. Families are being crushed under rising rent, soaring grocery bills, and utilities they can’t afford to pay. The American Dream? For many, it’s nothing more than a distant memory although it can still be achievable it is extremely rare. Debt is skyrocketing. Savings are gone. People are walking away from their homes, their jobs, and their old way of life because the system is no longer working for them — it’s working against them. In this video, I’m sharing the growing financial crisis in America and why so many people are giving up on traditional living. But giving up doesn’t mean failure — it means breaking free from a broken system and creating a new path forward using prudence, diligence and wisdom #inflation #costoflivingcrisis #blackout2025 #blackfriday tiktoks reviewed: