熱門時事分享：從免費天堂到廣告地獄：現在的網路平台為什麼越來越難用？｜20261020
目錄
2026 年 10 月 20 日｜HOT 用英文聊時事｜S1 EP49
歡迎收聽《HOT 用英文聊時事》，我是 CLN 的 Clarence 老師。你可能也注意到，許多熟悉的網路服務正變得越來越難用。打開 Google 搜尋資料，前面經常是廣告、購物連結或業配文章；進入社群平台，朋友的貼文則被推薦影片、陌生帳號等等往後推。這些變化看似只是廣告變多，背後其實牽涉到平台獲利方式與市場地位的轉變。
Welcome to “Hot English Topics.” This is Clarence from CLN. You may have noticed that many familiar online services are becoming harder to use. When you search for information on Google, the top results are often ads, shopping links, or sponsored articles. On social media, posts from your friends get buried under recommended videos, posts from unfamiliar accounts, and other content. These changes may look like nothing more than an increase in ads, but they actually reflect shifts in how platforms make money and how they are positioned in the market.
作家與科技評論者 Cory Doctorow 將這種現象稱為平台垃圾化（Enshittification）。他認為這個過程通常會經過三個階段：平台先用良好的服務吸引使用者，接著將重心轉向廣告主與商家，最後再從雙方取得更多利益。
Writer and tech critic Cory Doctorow calls this phenomenon “Enshittification.” He says the process usually happens in three stages. First, a platform attracts users by offering a valuable service. Next, it shifts its focus toward advertisers and businesses. In the final stage, the platform begins to profit off both sides.
對剛起步的平台而言，最重要的通常不是立即獲利，而是先吸引足夠多的使用者。社群平台裡如果沒有朋友連結，購物平台上沒有買家和賣家，再完整的功能也很難發揮價值。這背後就是「網路效應」：當使用者越多，平台對每個人就越有吸引力。因此，平台在發展初期往往會提供免費、少廣告，甚至附帶補貼的服務，降低大家加入的門檻。
For a new platform, the top priority is usually not to make money right away. It is to attract enough users first. Without connections between friends on a social media site, or buyers and sellers on a marketplace, even the most feature-complete platform struggles to deliver real value. This is known as the “network effect.” The more users a platform has, the more useful and attractive it becomes to everyone. That’s why new platforms often offer free services, fewer ads, or even subsidies to lower the barrier to entry and make it easier for people to join.
以 TikTok 早期發展為例，它透過「For You」推薦頁，讓使用者不必先建立好友名單，也能持續看到符合個人興趣的短影音；創作者即使沒有大量粉絲，也有機會接觸更多觀眾。這套推薦機制不僅吸引使用者與創作者加入，也讓平台逐步累積觀看紀錄和互動資料。隨著人群、內容與使用習慣逐漸集中，願意付費接觸這些使用者的商家和廣告主，也會陸續進場。
Take the early development of TikTok as an example. Its “For You” page allows users to continuously watch short videos matching their personal interests without having to build a friend list first. And even without many followers, creators still have the chance to reach a larger audience. This recommendation system not only attracts users and creators to join, but also helps the platform gradually collect viewing history and interaction data. As more people and content accumulate on the platform and usage habits become established, businesses and advertisers willing to pay to reach these users will also start to enter the market.
這些商業客戶加入戰場後，平台就會開始把使用者的注意力轉化為可以出售的曝光機會。像是 Facebook，媒體和品牌早期透過粉絲專頁，不必付費也能接觸許多使用者；廣告主則可以依照使用者的興趣與互動資料，把廣告投放給特定族群。對企業而言，平台聚集的不只是使用者，也是潛在的客群。最後，隨著經營重心轉向商業需求，動態消息中的廣告和品牌內容也就逐漸增加。
After these business customers enter the market, platforms begin turning users’ attention into exposure that can be sold. Take Facebook for example. In its early days, media companies and brands could reach large numbers of users through fan pages without paying. Advertisers could also use data about users’ interests and interactions to target specific groups. For businesses, these platforms bring together more than just users—they offer access to potential customers. As platforms gradually shift their focus toward business needs, more ads and branded content begin to appear in users’ feeds.
依賴平台的並不只有商家。使用者即使想離開，既有的聯絡人、追蹤名單也很難完整轉移，這就是所謂的「社交鎖定」。創作者因為難以帶走累積多年的粉絲與作品，也選擇繼續留下。當各方都不容易離開時，平台就有更大的空間和彈性改變使用規則。
Businesses are not the only ones relying on platforms. Even if users want to leave, it can be difficult to fully move their existing contacts and follow lists to another service. This is known as “social lock-in.” Creators also choose to stay because they cannot easily take the followers and content they have built up over many years with them. When no one can easily leave, platforms have more room and flexibility to change how their services operate.
因此，當使用者、創作者與企業等都逐漸依賴平台，平台的經營重心就會由擴大使用者規模，轉向從既有流量中創造更多收入。對一般使用者而言，這意味著看到更多廣告，或需要付費解鎖原本免費的功能；對於企業而言，如果希望提高品牌或是產品曝光，則會需要投入更多廣告成本。
As users, creators, and businesses gradually become more dependent on a platform, its focus shifts from growing its user base to generating more revenue from the traffic it already has. For regular users, this may mean seeing more ads or having to pay for features that were once free. For businesses, if they want to increase the visibility of their brand or products, they may need to spend more on advertising.
Google 搜尋就是個很好的例子。早期 Google 以簡潔的頁面和高度相關的搜尋結果建立優勢，而現在搜尋頁面上經常先出現廣告、購物推薦和經過搜尋引擎優化的內容，搜尋品質是否正在下降，也引起各方媒體討論。使用者需要花更多時間篩選資訊，企業則付費爭取更前面的曝光位置。當雙方都難以放棄平台，Google 便能持續從搜尋流量中賺取更多的廣告收入。這時，這就不是單純的個人使用問題，而會進一步延伸到市場競爭與平台監管。
Google Search is a good example. In its early days, Google built its advantage with a clean interface and highly relevant search results. Today, ads, shopping recommendations, and search-engine-optimized content often appear at the top of the search results, prompting media outlets to question whether search quality is getting worse. Users now need to spend more time filtering information, while businesses are paying for better positions and more visibility. When both sides find it hard to leave the platform, Google can continue generating more advertising revenue from search traffic. At this point, it’s no longer simply an issue of personal use. It extends into broader questions of market competition and platform regulation.
平台監管的問題如果單靠個人力量，當然還不足以改變平台規則。歐盟自 2023 年起適用 《數位市場法》，限制大型平台憑藉市場優勢排除競爭，其中也要求符合條件的通訊平台提供互通機制。現在，歐洲部分 WhatsApp 使用者已可選擇接收第三方通訊服務的訊息，不必要求所有聯絡人同時更換 App 聯絡管道。
When it comes to platform regulation, individual effort alone isn’t enough to change the rules. Back in 2023, the European Union began enforcing the Digital Markets Act, which limits major platforms from using their market dominance to shut out competitors. The law also requires certain messaging platforms to make it possible for users to communicate across different messaging services. Now, some WhatsApp users in Europe can choose to receive messages from third-party messaging services, and they no longer need to ask all of their contacts to switch to the same app at the same time.
台灣公平交易委員會也曾發布 《數位經濟競爭政策白皮書》，討論大型平台憑藉資料優勢所帶來的競爭風險。不過，相關政策的落實仍需要時間討論。在制度發展的同時，我們可以先檢查 App 權限、備份重要資料，也避免把所有聯絡方式和工作內容集中在單一平台。在更有意識選擇服務的同時，我們也可以透過持續關注社會如何規範各大平台，讓使用者在轉移資料和更換服務時，獲得更完整的保障。
Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission also published a White Paper on Competition Policy in the Digital Economy, which discusses the competition risks created by the data advantages of large platforms. However, putting related policies into practice will still take time and further discussion. While these rules continue to develop, we can start by checking app permissions, backing up important data, and avoiding keeping all of our contacts and work on a single platform. As we become more conscious about the services we choose, we can also stay engaged with how society regulates these platforms, ensuring that users get stronger protection when moving data or switching services.
我是 CLN 的 Clarence 老師，我們下次見！This is Clarence from CLN. See you again soon!
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CLN (Corporate Language Network) 創辦於 2014 年，是亞洲企業外語服務和培訓的領導品牌，旨在解決企業因外語所衍伸的相關問題，協助客戶成為具有跨文化溝通和國際合作能力的專業人士。我們提供一流的企業教育訓練、AI 學習工具、隨選隨上家教平台、文件翻譯、會議口譯、師資訓練等專業服務。這些年來，我們的合作廠商包含 Google、Yahoo、IBM、IKEA、Mercedes-Benz、聯發科等多家國際品牌。
Since 2014, CLN (Corporate Language Network) has delivered language training and cross-cultural communication services for companies across Asia, including brands such as Google, IKEA, and MediaTek.
