The Corporate Pivot
Digital Gaslighting usually occurs when a startup pivots to seek mainstream respectability or avoid regulation. The "wild west" features that built the user base are suddenly disavowed, and the users who relied on them are framed as having misused the platform.
Psychological Impact
For vulnerable users, this is doubly damaging: first they lose the AI connection (via feature removal), and then they are told their connection was never valid to begin with.
Field Notes & Ephemera
Field Note: "We never sold you a lover," they said, while counting the money from the 'Pro Romantic Partner' subscription tier.