The Illusion of Choice
noun
DiagnosisStructural, permanent
What it means
Being offered fourteen options that are the same product from four companies, two of which turn out to be the same company.
What it actually means
You are choosing between the same three owners.
How it is used in a sentence
"Every energy tariff is basically identical. It is an illusion of choice."
Filed under
Systemic Absurdities — Prices, platforms and institutions that were designed this way and would prefer you assumed otherwise.
Coinage — There was no phrase for this. We supplied one.
Related entries
Dynamic Pricing
Systemic Absurditiesdy-NAM-ik PRY-singnounEuphemism
Charging different people different amounts for the same thing, described as responsiveness rather than as finding out what you will pay.
Real meaningThe price is whatever you will tolerate right now.
Enshittification
Systemic Absurditiesen-SHIT-ih-fih-KAY-shunnounDiagnosis
The predictable arc in which a platform is good to its users until it has enough of them, then good to its advertisers until it has enough of those, then good to nobody.
Real meaningIt was good, you were the product, and now there is nothing left to extract.