By now, many of us have heard Macquarie Dictionary’s word of the year, and if you haven’t, brace yourself. It’s “enshittification.” Yes, that’s the actual word—and it’s depressingly perfect for these times. But before you clutch your pearls or scramble to Google, take a breath. Let’s talk about what this means for those of us who still remember life without the internet.

Enshittification, coined by Canadian writer Cory Doctorow, describes the process by which everything online turns, well, to rubbish. Think about it: once-delightful platforms are now bloated with ads, pop-ups, and paywalls. Remember when Facebook was fun? Now it’s just a family reunion you didn’t RSVP for. Instagram? It’s the TVSN channel. And TikTok?

Well, some of us don’t even have an account, which might explain why our grandchildren roll their eyes when we ask what they’re laughing at on their phones.

Macquarie’s runners-up aren’t much better for our collective self-esteem. The silver medal went to “RTD” (Right To Disconnect). Apparently, people younger than 30 think it’s groundbreaking to have time off from work emails. We just called it “5 o’clock.” And then there’s “rawdogging.” No, not what you think. It means living life without the usual crutches, like caffeine or screens. So, that’s what the kids are calling it when they forget their phone charger?

Every year, these words creep into the dictionary, and every year, I feel a little more like my grandmother trying to make sense of “groovy.” When did life become a constant parade of acronyms, memes, and jargon? Is it a sign of cultural decay, or are we just getting old? Maybe both.

The truth is, trying to keep up with this linguistic churn can feel exhausting. If your grandchildren are peppering their conversations with terms like “brain rot” (a stupor caused by meme overexposure) or “de-influencing” (telling people what not to buy), you’re not alone in nodding politely and later Googling what they meant. And acronyms? Don’t even get me started. I recently overheard “FOMO” and “YOLO” in the same sentence, and I’m still recovering.

But here’s the kicker: do we even care? Is it so bad to let the younger generation have their slang while we stick to words like “dreadful” and “splendid”? Maybe not. Staying in touch doesn’t mean downloading TikTok. It might just mean asking, “What does that mean?” and laughing along when the explanation is more absurd than the word itself.

So, the next time you hear “enshittification,” don’t panic. Just think of it as a reminder that language—and life—keeps evolving. And if it makes you feel better, call it what it really is: a load of rubbish. So, if “enshittification” hasn’t made its way into your vocabulary yet, don’t worry—apparently, it hasn’t made its way into spellcheck either.

This reflection has been inspired by an article by David Astie in SMH