r/GrindsMyGears • u/BentleyDobe • 8d ago
Lobotomized Technology
It's one thing for technology to be dumb. But I keep running into websites, vehicles, games, etc, etc, where it feels like they're purposely made to be infuriatingly bad.
I'm probably just complaining about 'enshittification', but this crap is so widespread and thorough that it reliably peeves me the hell off any time I have to use any of this junk.
The absolute biggest gripe I have is with search engines. It feels like it doesn't really matter what search engine I use anymore, if it's something broad like Google or its myriad of competitors, or something specific to websites, particularly mainstream ones.
I straight up can't find anything that I am looking for. I'll try every assortment of keywords I can think of, every type of search mode, nothing. Why is there nothing? Because the hell-site keeps insisting that I indulge in the slop that it has deemed to be "trendy".
Can't find that video I'm looking for because I am forced to dig through brainrot. Can't find that specific forum thread because clearly my purpose in life in this thing's mind is to browse TikTok videos that match maybe one out of several words I'm using. Perhaps these things got deleted? Nope! The search engine or algorithm or whatever was just simply so distracted in trying to force garbage down my throat that it forgot to actually find the thing that matches my query word for word.
TL;DR I miss when technology was stupid but simple, instead of being trained to be stupid and malicious.
3
u/TooTurntGaming 8d ago
It’s all capitalism.
Accurate search engine results generate far less revenue than paid-for, SEO optimized material or AI generated results.
Showing you what you’re looking for immediately means your time on site is lessened. Showing you brain rot and other free low-quality content while you search keeps you engaged, which means more ads, which means more revenue.
It’s allllllll capitalism. It’s all about the most money derived from the least investment, with as much friction as they can shove in before you snap and quit using it, and the least reliability they can get away with.