Yeah, fuuuuuck that. I use Signal for a reason.
Onii-Chan
joined 2 years ago
32 here, so definitely not your age, but I just want to let you know that you're not as alone in this as you think. I've also degoogled my life, I don't use any social media outside of kbin and reddit (just to keep up to date on my city via its subreddit), use Signal as my messenger, Proton for email, NewPipe for YouTube, InnerTune instead of Spotify and GrapheneOS with aggressive app permissions instead of Android, all sitting behind Mullvad VPN and a privacy focused web browser.
I've never felt so free of corporate bullshit, and the 'convenience' I've given up hasn't affected my life anywhere near as drastically as I thought it would. I just wish everyone could realize how easy it is to ditch the surveillance machine and still retain an easy, convenient digital life.
I mean, yeah. The only 'social media' I have is kbin, and I check it once or twice a day. If it went anywhere, I wouldn't really give a shit, as I left all the major platforms years ago and adding one more to that list wouldn't bother me. Don't group me in with Twitter (x?) users because I called them out on their addiction, when I've already done what they seemingly can't.
These people are addicted to such a degree that they're functionally on the same level as literal junkies, just without the physical damage. Social media was such a fucking mistake, and I don't think we're ever going to recover from it within our lifetime.
Ted Kaczynski was right.
I have to be honest, as much as I've degoogled my life, Maps is the one app I've yet to find good competition for. Every single alternative I've used has fallen short in some way, especially in terms of business details and street view, which are critically important for my work.
Maps is just too good, and it is the only Google product I still use (albeit through GrapheneOS with heavily restricted permissions and a dummy account.)
I dream of a world that again exists without big tech, but you know, it's a dream.
Nightly drinking. At this point, I don't know what life was like before I started, and as much as I know I'm shortening my life, I actually really enjoy the daily stress relief - I'm weirdly happier overall these days as a result, although I do keep my intake low.
I don't smoke, vape, trip, weed is a no go, as it triggers psychotic thought patterns, and I don't take anything else (unless caffeine counts, in which case, I'd rather fucking kill myself than give up coffee.) I enjoy having something to lean on. We're all dying, some of us slightly faster than others by choice. I don't think a couple whiskeys a night is all that bad, all things considered. The world is moving in a direction I'm not compatible with on a deeply personal level anyway, so fuck living until 80.