I’ve worked in IT for about 30 years now. I’ve seen companies come and go. Somewhat recently (the past couple years) I’ve started to dislike what I see, more and more. Of course not all IT companies are “Big Tech”, but it’s really hard to avoid it. I’m going to try though, for as much as I can, because frankly, I’m very fed up with it.
I’m fed up with every other website telling me “we value your privacy”, and then showing me an opt-out list of hundreds of vendors they’d like to share my information with. If it’s free, you’re the product. Even when it’s not free, that seems to be the case.
I’m fed up with algorithms that are designed to make people addicted, and to influence people. To amplify misinformation. To lure people to the political extreme right. They are influencing elections and polarising our society.
I’m fed up with those big companies being able to switch off email or in theory my entire device, in case the US government asks them that. This isn’t even hypothetical, as Microsoft already switched off the email of the head prosecutor of the ICC.
I’m fed up that even if Big Tech gets fined, it’s meaningless to them. They make billions of dollars, to them, it’s just an expense item. They treat employees whatever way they want and do as they please. It’s like the law doesn’t apply to them.
I’m fed up that Big Tech doesn’t care about the environment. They keep building bigger data centers because we all “need” AI. They force people to replace their (still functional) hardware, because it no longer supports the newest OS, or because they can’t upgrade the processor, memory or storage.
This isn’t even a complete list of what bugs me so much about them. Due to all this, I have been, and will be, moving away from several services. In the coming blog posts I’ll write more about how I’m avoiding Big Tech as much as I can.
I realise switching to other services and hardware is not for everyone. People might lack the knowledge or money to do so, or just not have the energy. It’s also not an all-or-nothing thing. You can do as much or as little as suits you. For me, it’s a process that is sometimes frustrating, but all in all, I’m starting to enjoy more open software, more flexibility, and more independence.