Welcome to STEN.UK — We're Fed Up, and We're Doing Something About It
There's a term for what's been happening to the internet, to our phones, to the apps we depend on every single day. Cory Doctorow named it: enshittification. The slow, deliberate degradation of a product that was once good — first to milk its users, then to squeeze its business customers, then to shovel value back to shareholders until nothing remains but a bloated, ad-choked, dark-pattern-riddled husk of something that used to work.
We've all felt it. The game that used to be a game, now pausing every 45 seconds to ask if you'd like to watch a 30-second ad for a different game. The news app that needs your location, your contacts, and your firstborn child just to show you a headline. The free tool that got acquired, "improved," and is now £14.99 a month with the useful features locked behind the Pro tier.
Here's the thing, though. In 2025, with AI tooling and vibe coding, building an alternative has never been more accessible. You don't need a team of engineers. You don't need VC funding. You need an idea, a clear head, and a willingness to just start. That's what STEN is. A place where we document the process — the rants, the wins, the half-finished projects — of taking back control, one app at a time.
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