"Enshittification" has become the 2023 digital word of the year. Judging from the patterns in app developments, I am afraid that it will continue to be a relevant term for quite a long time. Cory Doctorow provides the best explanation for it: “Here is how platforms die: first, they are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves. Then, they die. I call this enshittification.” We have all observed and experienced this phenomenon. Initially, a digital platform is user-friendly and accessible. Over time, however, commercialization, gamification, marketization and all the other "ations" are introduced. Think of the ways enshittification has transformed apps like Duolingo and Grammarly. Watch an ad. Don't like the ad? Become our Premium member. This pattern has become pervasive.
Unfortunately, it seems that this trend has begun affecting apps used by people with disabilities. Imagine having to pay for your voice and opportunity to communicate every month. You also would not probably have access to the language you actually speak, understand or use within your family. Sounds like a dystopian scenario, but this is the harsh reality for many AAC users and their family members.
When I read the news that TD Snap is transitioning to the subscription model from the one-time purchase option, I became concerned for the families and people reliant on this app. Not only does the company focus on a limited number of languages, neglecting those deemed unprofitable, it is also making it less accessible to those who cannot afford a $9 monthly fee.
As a parent of a non-speaking autistic child who uses an AAC device, I have seen the impact firsthand. We were fortunate to receive this device for free through government support in Sweden. This was our first cost-free alternative communication option, unlike the PECS system we used before, which required materials like paper, a printer, a special app with digital pictures, a laminating device, velcro tape, and an album to store all the laminated cards. Despite being seemingly inexpensive, the need to frequently replace lost or damaged cards made and continues to make it a recurring expense. Moreover, the album can only fit a limited number of cards. Imagine having access to only 200 words.
As a result, when I saw TD Snap for the first time I was excited to try it with my son. So many words, so many situations and communicative opportunities to use. My excitement was, unfortunately, short-lived. None of the AAC apps we have encountered supported my son's native language. My attempts to contact the companies and offer them free translation and linguistic expertise were met with silence. When a language is not commercially profitable - it is simply not considered by AAC companies. So we adapted, like most of the families with autistic children, by using languages available on the app: beginning with English and gradually switching to Swedish due to the school preferences. Let's be completely honest here: we were in a privileged position to receive a free iPad with a pre-paid version of this app, but not every family has this advantage. These solutions are costly and, with ongoing enshittification, they are becoming even less affordable.
Tobii Dynavox's move to a subscription model is an outrageous example of this troubling trend. The company profits from the most vulnerable populations - people who do not have their voice and whose voice already depends from so many variables: their parents not forgetting to charge the AAC device, the app not crushing after the kid managed to turn on some weird setting, their school assistants removing the AAC tablet from the kid's backpack and actually using it, and many other small details that make the use of an AAC device possible every day. Tobii Dynavox is making our lives even more challenging by making their product less accessible.
Shame on you.
(2023, January 23). The ‘Enshittification’ of TikTok. Wired. Retrieved May 22, 2024, from https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-platforms-cory-doctorow/
Unfortunately, it seems that this trend has begun affecting apps used by people with disabilities. Imagine having to pay for your voice and opportunity to communicate every month. You also would not probably have access to the language you actually speak, understand or use within your family. Sounds like a dystopian scenario, but this is the harsh reality for many AAC users and their family members.
When I read the news that TD Snap is transitioning to the subscription model from the one-time purchase option, I became concerned for the families and people reliant on this app. Not only does the company focus on a limited number of languages, neglecting those deemed unprofitable, it is also making it less accessible to those who cannot afford a $9 monthly fee.
As a parent of a non-speaking autistic child who uses an AAC device, I have seen the impact firsthand. We were fortunate to receive this device for free through government support in Sweden. This was our first cost-free alternative communication option, unlike the PECS system we used before, which required materials like paper, a printer, a special app with digital pictures, a laminating device, velcro tape, and an album to store all the laminated cards. Despite being seemingly inexpensive, the need to frequently replace lost or damaged cards made and continues to make it a recurring expense. Moreover, the album can only fit a limited number of cards. Imagine having access to only 200 words.
As a result, when I saw TD Snap for the first time I was excited to try it with my son. So many words, so many situations and communicative opportunities to use. My excitement was, unfortunately, short-lived. None of the AAC apps we have encountered supported my son's native language. My attempts to contact the companies and offer them free translation and linguistic expertise were met with silence. When a language is not commercially profitable - it is simply not considered by AAC companies. So we adapted, like most of the families with autistic children, by using languages available on the app: beginning with English and gradually switching to Swedish due to the school preferences. Let's be completely honest here: we were in a privileged position to receive a free iPad with a pre-paid version of this app, but not every family has this advantage. These solutions are costly and, with ongoing enshittification, they are becoming even less affordable.
Tobii Dynavox's move to a subscription model is an outrageous example of this troubling trend. The company profits from the most vulnerable populations - people who do not have their voice and whose voice already depends from so many variables: their parents not forgetting to charge the AAC device, the app not crushing after the kid managed to turn on some weird setting, their school assistants removing the AAC tablet from the kid's backpack and actually using it, and many other small details that make the use of an AAC device possible every day. Tobii Dynavox is making our lives even more challenging by making their product less accessible.
Shame on you.
(2023, January 23). The ‘Enshittification’ of TikTok. Wired. Retrieved May 22, 2024, from https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-platforms-cory-doctorow/