De-Googling, and more in general

Jul 13, 2022

De-Googling is not uncommon, especially among people concerned with internet privacy and the slow web. I'm not going to make the argument for de-Googling in this post. The fact that a single company is so huge that we all struggle to free ourselves from it says it all. Because Google (and Facebook, and Amazon) are so pervasive in standard life at this point, everyone has their own strategies for separation. I will just describe what I've done. My hope is that it's at least partially helpful for someone else on the same journey.

Google

Just one glance at Google's array of products is overwhelming. I've seen more than one person say that unless something is just as good as a Google service, they wouldn't consider it. I can't understand this position. If the motivations behind de-Googling are personally valuable at all, wouldn't you be willing to compromise something in exchange? Rarely is anything without tradeoff. Needless to say, that's not my attitude. I am open to products that may be worse in some ways, if it means I can get away from Google. Simply giving up a service with no replacement is also an option.

Facebook

I quit Facebook over ten years ago. At the time, it felt extremely isolating because everyone was still using it to connect, invite people to events, and chat. Now, no one really uses it, besides parents. Facebook still owns a lot of important brands, though.

Amazon

There was a point in time when my friends and I were buying on Amazon almost as sport. Beyond that, Amazon is just so convenient. Need oddly-sized batteries? A screen protector? Korean skincare? That one tech product with a really long name containing a serial number? Any weird single-purpose doohickey? Amazon is perfect for these types of low-demand products that are hard for a brick-and-mortar store to carry. It really took effort to wean myself off of Amazon. At the beginning, I found myself totally at a loss for where else to even find these objects. (Again, this total dependence is telling and frightening.)

I haven't bought anything from Amazon in about five years, so by now I've adjusted. The strategy I use the most is just to buy less stuff. If I do have to buy something, I probably have to accept that I won't get something as specifically perfect as if I had the whole product selection from Amazon. I usually try to find a physical store in my area first. If that doesn't work, I'll look for a specific website (like an electronics website for a screen protector).

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