- Start using tools again
- The Framework is the most exciting laptop I’ve ever used
- Linux on the Desktop: Part Two
- 20 reasons to quit social media
- Google has been tracking nearly everything you buy online
- The NSA and CIA Use Ad Blockers Because Online Advertising Is So Dangerous
The first reading list post is about my relationship to Big Tech©. I’ve reflected on my use of technology and found posts written by people who not only feel that there is something fundamentally broken but have started implementing solutions to change their relationship with their tools.
I think since the 2016 US Election and the Cambridge Analytica scandal, we’ve all realized how social media and technology companies sell information about you to sell power and influence. More recently, social media has allowed rumors and conspiracy theories about vaccine efficacy to run wild. I’m detoxing from social media, considering how these entertainment services degrade my privacy and waste my time.
Here’s what I’ve done so far:
- Downloaded my media from social media accounts
- Deleted Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
- Removed all details from my Linkedin profile to use it as a roledex
- Wrote my resume as printable webpage
- Switched to Firefox with ad blockers
- Stopped using Alexa in the home
There’s more to do. I still use Big Tech© for daily computing work, file storage, running this blog, analytics, taking photos, emailing, calendars, etc. I don’t imagine I’ll be off the grid soon, but I’m pleased to be in control of my information.