“When did the internet become this awful?”: the idea of decline in internet histories

Over the past decade, the idea that the internet has gotten worse has become widespread, reflected in the emergence of popular new terms such as “techlash,” “enshittification,” and “slop.” This article argues that these internet decline narratives (IDNs) have become a central way the recent history of the internet is narrated. It explores the characteristics and functions of these narratives and some of the possibilities and challenges they present to the field of internet histories. IDNs often voice legitimate concerns and can spur the creation of alternative systems that exist in opposition to more extractive and profit-oriented services. However, by focusing largely on the power of a handful of large US-based technology companies, their founders, and figureheads, IDNs can sit uncomfortably with longstanding commitments to understanding internet histories beyond narratives that centre the role of inventors, entrepreneurs, and corporations. Taking IDNs seriously as modes of internet histories is crucial as they inform how the internet’s past is presented in public discourse and circumscribe the futures that still seem imaginable.