defeatism antidote
There’s been posts in other places I read recently that made me sad. They all had one thing in common: Defeatism about changing anything about tech use.
They treated apps as universal, specific companies as a must-have. And sure, I get that perspective; I myself have made the connection between Google and utility services. However, it was all woe is me. “No one is going to stop using these apps anyway.” “I know no one cares about this.” “I know it’s unrealistic to ever switch.” “It’s hopeless.”
And I just wanna grab them by the shoulders and shout:
“No!!! I’m here! So many people are here and doing just that! See, we’ve done it and we’re willing to share how and what we’re doing instead! We care, just like you!
Look around the world. While someone in the US thinks iMessage and Facebook Messenger is a must-have, a European thinks WhatsApp is, while Asia has WeChat and KakaoTalk. This only shows us one thing: It’s not a given that certain apps are the default. People still have the freedom to choose, you’re a product of your environment and new products come and go. The thing you claim you can’t live without didn’t even exist 15 years ago.
There are so many of us who switched to Linux while needing special software, or who switched away from GMail and had to deal with the migration troubles, or those who switched to a phone that supports GrapheneOS while needing to keep online banking intact, or started using LibreOffice instead of Office365 and were worried about compatibility. There are many that deleted some social media accounts and still kept in touch with people, who got their group chat to switch to Signal, or that organize the local club on Matrix now. You don’t have to do it all, and you don’t have to do it alone, and your concerns are valid but fixable.
If it sucks, hit the bricks - if one of these things bother you, you can get rid of it. You can at least try. You aren’t trapped, you aren’t helpless and you can help yourself with the support of others that have done it before you!”
What would it take for you to reach out for help and try?
Reply via email
Published 27 Jul, 2025