After 6 months of painstakingly moving all my accounts from gmail to tuta, I finally deleted my google account today! No more google, meta, or apple in my life. Its crazy how much my relationship with technology has already changed. Deleting Spotify was probably the biggest change so far. Its insane how my music taste has expanded. I was so afraid of discovering less music without Spotify, but the opposite has happened. Before I had a relationship with the algorithm. Now I find music organically, looking through peoples bandcamp purchases, SoundCloud likes, and soulseek folders. I’ve found myself listening to albums much more and developing relationships with artists and their work rather than the algorithm! Music is everything to me, but I didn’t realize how dedicating time to managing a digital library and purposefully seeking new music would transform my relationship with it. It feels like one of respect and reciprocity rather than overwhelming scrolling and recommendations and feeling like I’m in a pigeonhole.
I’m excited to see how getting rid of Instagram and the YouTube algorithm will effect my psychology. I defiantly have an addiction to the numbing that these algorithms provide. I’m sure I will replace these numbing agents with other forms of distraction, but I’m hoping they’ll be at least a little less toxic. I’ve been reading the arch wiki a lot and thinking about picking up a new hobby…
How has this process been like for y’all? How has it impacted your life and the way you see the world?
It’s kind of a double edged sword, because while all the benefits are true, the majority of people around me still rely on social media and online dating. This just exacerbates my anxiety. It makes me feel that I’m being left behind and that I’m a weirdo. Of course, I know that this isn’t the case, but it’s how I feel sometimes. What a world we live in, where taking a stance against big tech and doomscrolling actually comes with the risk of isolation. :/
Edit: typo city
Yeah. I feel you. People make so many references to social media in conversation too. And people give me blank stares when I try to explain my world view. I just hope by going all in on my actual interests I’ll eventually find the people I actually connect with IRL eventually.
I took a class from a musician I really look up to and we connected over how Instagram has negatively impacted the music scene, specifically in terms of placing a huge emphasis on ego. Big tech and the modern music industry puts so much emphasis on becoming a rockstar. But in reality art is decentralized. Its scenes and subcultures are what truly impact the culture at large. Artificially boosted pop stars are just a way to extract money. He encouraged me to stay off social media and that really helped me feel more secure in my decision.
I don’t know if I would have been able to have that conversation a year ago. This shift in my life has defiently been isolating from my family and most of my friends, but I have some hope that I’ll get better at navigating the social world without big tech.
OMG! Yes, the fear of missing out (fomo) was/is a big concern of mine about leaving social media. I know several local groups/companies ONLY post events on Facebook.