Death, Taxes and Enshittification
It doesn’t matter what. Anything you like, once it gets popular enough, is doomed to be enshittified. When I say anything, I really mean it. Youtube channel, movie franchise, piece of software, app, website, service. This also applies for physical experiences: festivals, restaurants, bars, parks.
The explanation is simple really. Popularity is the opposite of niche, curated. Massification kills authenticity. To please the biggest crowd - hence make more money - one needs to find the lowest common denominator. This is usually a crappy, easy-to-digest, version of what made the thing cool in the first place. It's like a caricature of the former self.
The math is understandable. Anyone with a barely viable business wants to make money, and, if possible, more money. Cool things often run at a thin margin. Once they get popular they either sacrifice quality or sell out the business. Just like that, the soul is gone.
I don’t blame it, I’d probably do the same. Money talks, right? However, at this time and age, with economics of scale and one instagram-story away from making your business explode, it’s getting harder and harder to find true gems.
It's a pity, or maybe I’m just getting old.