A Day in the Life of an Ensh*ttificator
An English conversation lesson plan for adults
In a video sweeping the internet, NewsLab — commissioned by the Norwegian Consumer Council — introduces a new word: enshittificator, a person whose job is to make life worse.
It follows his journey from practising the craft of “enshittifying” one by one, item by item (as his father also did), to scaling his reach online through messing with the online world.
They claim digital products and services keep getting worse.
In the report Breaking Free: Pathways to a Fair Technological Future, the Norwegian Consumer Council explores enshittification and how to resist it.
The report shows how this phenomenon affects both consumers and society at large — but also that it is possible to turn the tide.
Watch the Video
4 mins
Part 1: Real-world interventions
Describe all the ways the presenter makes daily life more frustrating. (Listen out for phrasal verbs and gaps in everyday vocabulary).
In teams or pairs, add 5 of your own.
Hint: think about your own life and what regularly gets on your nerves.
Part 2: Moving online
What are his reasons for working online?
In pairs, make a list of all the digital interventions he creates.
How do you see him celebrating? List all the ways.
How does his persona change throughout the video?
Do you think he is referencing real people?
What was his example or theory about buying a car?
Class Discussion
How much truth is there in this video?
Is this the direction things are going, or can governments and large institutions make changes?
How important is it to make these changes?
What other online changes would you like to see?
Did you like the ending of this film? Why / why not?
Language
Watch the video again, listening for these phrases.
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“cost efficient”
→ It’s not very cost efficient to do it like this. -
“scale up the business”
→ I needed a way to scale up the business. -
“work myself to death” (semi-formal, but very natural)
→ …without working myself to death. -
“the solution landed right in my lap”
→ meaning: something arrived easily / unexpectedly -
“Enter the internet”
→ classic presentation phrase to introduce a new stage -
“things really started to move”
→ meaning: progress / growth accelerated -
“make people dependent”
→ Make people dependent enough… -
“alternative service”
→ Someone starts an alternative service… -
“you have me in the palm of your hand”
→ meaning: total control over a customer -
“premium feature”
→ Heating? Premium feature.
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Language Focus: The Business Spin
We are familiar with these phrases being used in a positive way in business.
In this video, they are used to describe something negative.
Task: Tell the story of a company
In pairs or small groups:
Prepare a presentation to tell the story of a huge multinational in the same way.
Make things that are negative sound hugely positive. Pick 3 from this list. Get points for using any of the business English phrases above.
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Avoiding taxes in some countries despite making huge profits
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Putting small businesses under pressure or driving them out of the market
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Using too much packaging, especially plastic
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Fast delivery expectations creating stress across the whole system
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Collecting and using large amounts of customer data
- Limiting employee toilet breaks
- Impact on high streets
- Control over free speech
- Exploitation of young girls
About Blue Noun
At Blue Noun, we can approach English learning differently because we are small, independent, and creative — with the goal of helping people enjoy their English. We believe that is the single biggest guarantor of success.
We don’t stick to safe topics or textbook exercises, but work through real ideas, real frustrations, and real-world-inspired conversations that adults actually want to have.
We use language as it exists in the world — messy, expressive, and often more honest than it first appears.
If this style of teaching resonates with you, let us know.
Further Information
Breaking Free
In the new report Breaking Free: Pathways to a fair technological future, the Norwegian Consumer Council has delved into enshittification and how to resist it.
ELT Lesson Plans
Lesson Plans and Class Ideas
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