The theory that the global economy has shifted from producing things to trading claims on things, with finance becoming not just a sector of the economy but its dominant logic. Under financialization, companies exist less to make products and more to generate shareholder value; housing becomes an investment vehicle rather than a place to live; and every aspect of life—education, health care, even relationships—gets turned into something that can be bought, sold, and securitized. The theory of global financialization explains why your rent keeps rising even though your wages don't, why your student loans are owned by three different investment firms, and why it feels like everything is a transaction now. Because it is.
Example: "She learned about the theory of global financialization and suddenly understood why her hospital bill was incomprehensible, why her landlord was a corporation she'd never meet, and why her retirement savings were invested in companies that were actively making the world worse. Everything was finance now. Nothing was just itself anymore. She felt very small and very angry."
by Dumu The Void February 15, 2026
Get the Theory of Global Financialization mug.The theory, popularized by internet observers, that describes the inevitable lifecycle of digital platforms and, increasingly, everything else: first they're good to users, then they abuse users to benefit business customers, then they abuse both to benefit shareholders, and finally they become a hollowed-out shell of their former selves, optimized for extraction rather than utility. The theory of global enshittification explains why every app you love eventually becomes unusable, why quality declines as soon as a company goes public, and why it feels like the whole world is slowly getting worse in specifically annoying ways. It's not paranoia; it's capitalism.
Example: "He watched his favorite social media platform implement its thirtieth enshittification update—more ads, less content, features nobody asked for—and realized the theory of global enshittification was playing out in real time. The app had been good, then useful, then tolerable, and now it was just a slot machine designed to extract his attention and sell it to the highest bidder. He didn't delete it. That's how enshittification wins."
by Dumu The Void February 15, 2026
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