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This Happened

This Happened — August 24: Central Italy Earthquake

An earthquake of 6.2 magnitude hit Italy on this day in 2016.

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Where did the earthquake strike in Italy?

The earthquake struck central Italy — in particular the regions of Lazio, Marche, Umbria, and Abruzzo. The epicenter was near the town of Accumoli in the province of Rieti. The earthquake caused significant damage to several towns and villages in the area. Many buildings, including historical structures, collapsed or were severely damaged. The earthquake resulted in the killing of 299 people, injuries, displacement of residents, and significant economic and infrastructural damage.

How did the Italian government respond to the earthquake?

The Italian government declared a state of emergency in the affected regions and mobilized resources for rescue, recovery, and reconstruction efforts. Financial assistance and aid were provided to affected individuals and communities. The government also established a task force to coordinate the response and address the long-term recovery needs.

How did the earthquake impact Italy's infrastructure and building regulations?

The earthquake prompted discussions and evaluations of Italy's infrastructure and building regulations. The disaster highlighted vulnerabilities and shortcomings in certain structures, leading to a renewed focus on seismic safety measures and the need for stricter building codes in earthquake-prone areas.

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Ideas

Look At This Crap! The "Enshittification" Theory Of Why The Internet Is Broken

The term was coined by journalist Cory Doctorow to explain the fatal drift of major Internet platforms: if they were ever useful and user-friendly, they will inevitably end up being odious.

A photo of hands holding onto a smartphone

A person holding their smartphone

Gilles Lambert/ZUMA
Manuel Ligero

-Analysis-

The universe tends toward chaos. Ultimately, everything degenerates. These immutable laws are even more true of the Internet.

In the case of media platforms, everything you once thought was a good service will, sooner or later, disgust you. This trend has been given a name: enshittification. The term was coined by Canadian blogger and journalist Cory Doctorow to explain the inevitable drift of technological giants toward... well.

The explanation is in line with the most basic tenets of Marxism. All digital companies have investors (essentially the bourgeoisie, people who don't perform any work and take the lion's share of the profits), and these investors want to see the percentage of their gains grow year after year. This pushes companies to make decisions that affect the service they provide to their customers. Although they don't do it unwillingly, quite the opposite.

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Annoying customers is just another part of the business plan. Look at Netflix, for example. The streaming giant has long been riddling how to monetize shared Netflix accounts. Option 1: adding a premium option to its regular price. Next, it asked for verification through text messages. After that, it considered raising the total subscription price. It also mulled adding advertising to the mix, and so on. These endless maneuvers irritated its audience, even as the company has been unable to decide which way it wants to go. So, slowly but surely, we see it drifting toward enshittification.

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