this post was submitted on 22 Jan 2026
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I am really tired. As an elder millennial I was promised endless progress. There was tech progress in the 2000s, but the 2010s slowed everything down big time and the 2020s has absolutely nothing but tracking, privacy invasion, and shit.
Glad I'm not the only one who noticed this as a millennial. Back in the 80s, 90s, and up until around the mid 2000s, technology seemed to make major leaps and bounds into the future every two years. Things were constantly evolving; but ever since HDTV/gaming and Android/iOS hit the scene, it's like tech stopped evolving and started iterating instead.
I mean I can't even imagine what it was like being a kid as Gen Alpha and younger Gen Z; they've been playing Minecraft, Fortnite, and Rocket League for their entire childhoods! Meanwhile I saw the evolution from 8-bit to 16-bit to 3D to HD, to 4K HDR with Ray Tracing! Every 3-4 months I was playing the newest hot game! The only exception from my childhood was Counter-Strike, and even then, there's been several CS titles released over the years.
Technology seems to have practically stopped evolving. It's mind blowing when you think about it. I wonder when we'll finally hit the limits of die shrinking and enter a technology dark age...?
Exactly. I haven't bought that many new games or even tried new games in a long ass time. I am still going through a lot of the Hitman (2016 series) since that game has soooooo much content. But the thing is, the game doesnt feel old. I have played newer games and they haven't changed much in my view.
Meanwhile look at our generation... I remember starting with a C64 (i was too young to do much with it though) and then getting a 386 and seeing technology advance at breakneck speeds. A game released in 1991 vs. 1994 had radical differences, and one in 1998 vs. 1994 even more. The 2000s were also rapid-fire advancement. Have you seen how the Medal of Honor games advanced? In 1999 vs. 2004 from the original one to Pacific Assault, and Oblivion in 2004 vs Skyrim in 2011 vs Morrowwind in 2002? Absolutely blowing everyone's minds away in how much change happened?
I get that we are hitting a tech wall, I really do. But the enshittification is ridicules. Holy fuck... again... why internet and cloud for everything? They are literally destroying home computing in such a brazen manner and everyone on top is 'that's just how it is and how it should be'. It isn't an unseen hand. It is as obvious as a hammer smashing your head in.
Well, it was marketed to you, but never promised. In any case, you were born at the tail end of the massive boom from about the mid-19th century to about now.
It's ending. Can you figure out why? Hint #1: it's not Russia, China, Iran, or even Israel.
It's the laws of physics. Dennard scaling is dead, unless someone discovers new, even smaller atoms and a way of disabling quantum tunnelling.
It's also the fact that faster speeds are unnecessary and nobody wants to pay more for them, so electronics companies have focused on efficiency/reducing power draw instead (which, incidentally, let's you run your computer faster anyway).
I get it. I really do. But that's not the point. It is the endless enshittification of everything that I am most concerned with. Stagnation in general I can deal with, but having everything be a more effective spy tool is something else.
Like take smart phones for example. My first real smart phone I got in 2015. You could say I actually got one in 2013, but for some reason that phone could not connect to the internet easily, so it was mostly just a phone with some nice apps I could install and also be an MP3/MP4 player. But while performance wise the phones I had since 2020 have been much better than those I still dont feel the slightest difference... and since I rarely receive real calls anymore I can probably get away with just leaving my phone at home most of the time which is probably for the best given it is effectively a anklemonitor most of the time. I can take my older 2013 phone that no longer works for telemetry if I want music and I can wear a wristwatch (a Casio ripoff, no joke. Those haven't changed in 30+ years) to tell the time.
I can navigate in the old school way of just looking up before hand where I want to go and memorize it or write it down and pay attention to road signs.
I think the implication though is that the enshittification is a byproduct of a vampire economy, a.k.a one where there are no new ideas. That could be driven by hitting a technological wall, forcing companies to turn on each other and their customers.
Partially yes, but also partially no. I mean them adding internet and cloud and AI to everything is utter shit and so nonsensical that I cannot fathom anyone thinking it is a good idea.
Remember when AWS servers went down and some people's beds tilted at an uncomfortable angle and their heating wouldn't stop? Why the FUCK would anyone want a bed like that?
I bought a new bed recently. The only thing about it that is different than my previous bed was that it has a power outlet for USBs. That is a good idea, but it doesnt need anything else... seriously. It is a fucking bed! I got a nice mattress for it and that was fine.
Don't get me wrong. Appliances and furniture with fancy features have been around since forever. Beds with heating and automated angling and power outlets and even TV/Radio were around since the 1950s. Ovens and stoves with computer controls and timers have been around for a long-ass time, too. Ditto for fridges and even toasters (i looked up some videos online of high end toasters that are kinda incredible).
But here is the kicker... all those things need is electricity to run. No internet or cloud services whatsoever. And they can do amazing things. Why the hell would anyone ruin these? Why not just optimize them and make them cheaper? Why needlessly complicate everything?