I’ve been kicking around the idea of colleges and how they’re enshittified.

I’m late to the party on this one, I know.

But I’m still going down the thought hole concerning how man-made devices and technology, in general, are replacing traditional social pillars. And how society is continually becoming more degraded and decrepit because of it.

For clarity, enshittification is:

– A product or platform is good for users
– Users are abused to make a profit.

I’m going to poorly attempt to break this into steps based on my uninformed viewpoint and all but zero research.

Stage one – Pure start.
– Like most major screw-ups, I think colleges started with good intentions. Originally, colleges were created to train and reinforce religious values. Ministers and whoever provided structure to colonial America. Law and science were added on as early America became more political and established.

Yes, it was flawed, of course.
Only men could attend. It became a haven for the affluent. Colleges have already begun promoting uniform idealism.

This was the way things were done. This is how someone should act.

Yes, flawed, but that’s kind of what America needed. Some form of stability was needed to reinforce and strengthen the community and adolescent government.

Boundaries were needed to hold everything together, and a college education helped provide them.

Stage Two –
– Strength to strength.
As America grew, colleges became less exclusive and more plentiful.

Yes – flawed – as the originals, like Yale and Harvard, were the gold standard for education and prestige. Branding, not education, started here, although it wasn’t the focus.

The upcoming colleges are like movie sequels. They tried to build upon the successful firsts and appeal to more than just the elites.

America moved away from farming and became more merchant and information-based. Lawyers, merchants, inventors, scientists…. That’s where the money was. And, for men in particular, that’s part of the protect and provide I mentioned in a previous post.

These professions, along with the perceived social favoritism of attending college, became a push. Parents want their children to do better than they did. College was part of that package.

While it was expensive, I’d like to think the classes had real-world applications, encouraged critical thinking, and fostered friction.

It wanted an exchange of ideas.
Colleges were learning from their most important educators – the students.

Stage 3: Escalation
—— Higher Education Act of 1964 was introduced.
(Yes, I did a quick search for the specific legal law policy thing.)

It is:

The Higher Education Act of 1965 introduced federal student aid and loan programs. This loan program was designed to provide low-interest loans to students who demonstrated financial need, allowing them to afford the rising costs of higher education.

This is pivotal.
On the surface, this looks good. America is the land of the free – home of the brave. Parents continually push for the betterment of their children. The children want to * be * better financially.

At this point, college was fairly affordable. A bit of debt, work, and social prestige for a secure future, a degree, and an advantageous life.

It was an aspiration of a generation.

Stage 4: The Content Machine
–
The Education Act was introduced in the 1960s. It was a bit too late for it to bloom then, but in the next generation, it was seen as a gateway for those who otherwise could not. It was a track for generational wealth. It was a chance to break the bonds and move onwards and upwards – to be the inspiration for children.

It was advertised and expected, and those who did not want to attend college were (unfairly) considered inferior or ‘other’ in some way.

And, as with all cases, government programs provide businesses and institutions with a money machine. The focus shifted a student to a sales price. They went from a name to a number.  How much could the college extract from the person?

And the numbers have to go up.
If the number doesn’t go up, there is no growth, and growth must be achieved at all costs. The red line can’t go down. The money machine went buuuurrrrrrr.

Colleges exploded.
Community college. State college. Specific colleges that cater to an area, a study, a discipline.

There are degrees, certificates, diplomas, majors… Anything could become a degree. If you looked hard enough, any interest could become a degree.

It didn’t matter if the degree was practical. It didn’t matter if there was a future in it. That wasn’t the college’s responsibility. That was on the person.

Colleges corrupted.
They targeted the vulnerable. They targeted the weak. The hopeful.

Everest… the University of Phoenix… Bay State….

Students became customers.
The customers are always right, even if they’re wrong.

It costs lives to make money.

—— Licensures, which were always there, became more prominent. As knowledge diluted, additional standards, proof, and qualifications were required.   Information became more loose.   Grades inflated while skills deflated.

Of course, professional licensures leaned in * hard. *
The tests became more difficult. The requirements became demanding. The costs of taking the tests rose to keep pace with rising college tuition.

Eight, twelve, twenty years of college was just the first step. Without the license, doctors, nurses, lawyers, plumbers, accountants, … all of the professions that are desirable, are vitally important, and need a license,

And, if these couldn’t be obtained, the person isn’t taken seriously. They’re regarded as the ‘other’ in the profession they invested their time, future, life, and funding.

The cost of generational wealth became generational debt.

Stage 5: Slow Clawback
– The juggernaut of financial strain on the people and the government has or is reaching an apex.

——— It might not be there yet. Americans seem to be very resilient when it comes to doom. Just when anyone else would have fallen, we keep pressing against that boundary just a little more – a little more – a little more.

Some weeding has happened.
Everest and (some) predatory practices have been pulled back. It’s still there, never fear, but it’s not as obvious.

A couple of colleges pushed so hard that they lost accreditation – like Harrison – and vanished.

Finally, some of the degrees are disappearing. They were too niche, little used, or simply impractical.

For right or wrong, the Trump Administration is trying to deal with this shit show. No matter what, no one is going to be happy with it.

People are over-educated, but certainly are not more intelligent.

Considering how society is structured, the dopamine, marketing….

Going back to the roots, college needs to loop back around to develop people who will reinforce society. It turns out that this is physical skills – plumbers – electricians – trades.

The less hyped, more physically demanding, cheaper degrees that were devalued.

Jobs that people really don’t need a degree to do successfully. When someone’s toilet is clogged, it doesn’t matter whether the plumber has a professional license. The competency and availability of the plumber matter far more.

Physical interaction with the world is what creates society.

And that’s scary for a lot of people.

But that’s where we are now.