Why an Australian dictionary picked "ens***tification" as its word of the year for 2024
CBSN
Sydney — Australia's quasi-official Macquarie Dictionary has picked "ens***tification" as the word of 2024, tapping into a growing sense that once-great digital services are bad and getting worse.
"ENS***TIFICATION -- Noun. Colloquial, the gradual deterioration of a service or product brought about by a reduction in the quality of service provided, especially of an online platform, and as a consequence of profit-seeking."
The word, coined by writer Cory Doctorow, refers to a process in which apps or digital platforms start off as incredibly useful, but gradually worsen as they seek to make a profit.
Russia launched a barrage of missiles at Ukraine Thursday in its first major retaliation for Ukraine's attack earlier in the week on a military facility in the Russian region of Bryansk. That strike saw the Ukrainians use American-made and supplied long-range missiles known as ATACMS, which President Biden had given the Ukrainian forces permission to fire deeper into Russian territory only two days earlier.
Amersham, England — Family and friends of One Direction star Liam Payne, who died last month after falling from a Buenos Aires hotel room, gathered for his funeral in Britain on Wednesday. Payne's former bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson were among mourners at the private service at St Mary's Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, just outside London.