I’m starting to wonder what the real benefit even is anymore. Between the technofeudal landscape we live in, where billionaires own the means of communication, data is constantly mined for profit, and surveillance is baked into every layer, it feels like I’m standing at the beach, using my bare hands to push back an endless tide.
Even when I take the so‑called “liberated” path through Linux, self‑hosting, and privacy tools, it often feels futile. The web itself is poisoned. Browsers are turning into tracking engines. Sites rely on manipulation and dark patterns. Social media is full of misinformation and ragebait.
Even open-source projects are being pulled under corporate influence (ex: Firefox adoption of AI).
It feels exhausting to route around a web that’s already been captured.
So I’m asking myself: what’s the point? Why not just step away?
Why not trade the illusion of digital control for actual peace, get a dumb phone, a CD player, and check out books, movies, music, and games from the library as my entertainment?
Does anyone else feel this way? Have you found ways to reconnect with technology?
For me it really was the fediverse that saved my opinion of tech, at least at the start. From that I found HackerNews (which I don’t use anymore for reasons), then omg.lol, and went down a rabbit hole of self hosting that ended with me finding my love for tech again. Because it is disheartening, and a lot of how tech is now is just… Bad for you (and, admittedly, fedi’s no different there).
I also just… Disconnected from how a lot of tech is being run. While, yes, I’m doing this to avoid big tech, it’s also just fun for me, and I’m not gonna have Google being evil ruin a hobby that’s been with me for life.
That being said, I do a lot more analog stuff now, or stuff that’s digital but removed from the internet. Knitting, writing (though that is on a computer), journaling, boardgames, I’d even class about half of how 3d printing works in this. It’s about finding a balance that works for you