The title may sound weird. I initially wrote it as “fuck over the billionaires”. But it is not only billionaires, but also multi-millionaires and people who think themselves hierarchically superior.
So:
- Are you doing something to fuck over “the powerful”? If so, what?
I donate to open source projects as much as I can. I’m on very few social media platforms and try to stay as private as possible with my data.
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Replaced Visa/Mastercard with local payment methods and cash. No practical change whatsoever in terms of convenience, was unexpected. Also am self hosting as much as I can.
Oh, this is something I don’t do, but probably should. Though I do small grocery shopping, several times, as opposed to one big one, and I do self checkout. It is so much faster to just pay with the card. It never really crossed my mind to do otherwise. I think paying with cash deserves a try though!
With self checkout here I can use the local QR code payment system that replaces the card entirely, so cash isn’t always necessary. Maybe there is something like that where you live!
Using the QR code is probably still using Mastercard/Visa, no? As long as the money is being transfered directly from your bank account, it should be going throw Visa/Mastercard. Or am I mistaken?
Don’t really have a good answer for you on that one, I think it depends on the payment networks where you live. Over here it goes through the local payment network that isn’t Visa/Mastercard, there is a government one and a private one.
I guess here we also have JCB, but that probably costs as much as Mastercard/Visa for the merchant so I try not to use my JCB card.
I’m here, for starters.
I’ve been systematically removing as many parts of myself from the corporate internet over the course of years. So far I’ve managed to drop:
- GMail
- Netflix
- Windows
- Prime
- HBO
I still have some stragglers, like YouTube, that I doubt will go anytime soon, but for the most part, I don’t have to deal with:
- Dark patterns
- Advertisements
- Anti-features (updates that remove functionality)
- FOMO
- Advertisements again
- Advertisements a third time
Really, I just do not like being advertised to, and outside YouTube sponsorships, which can be skipped, I can go whole days without ever coming across an ad on the internet, and even that feels high.
On top of all this, I’ve massively reduced my data collection footprint, meaning there’s far less info available to said advertisers and data collectors that they can use to manipulate me.
I also regularly try to provide some of this to my friends to also help cut them away from the propaganda machine.
YouTube, in my experience, has been the hardest one to fully cut. Sometimes you need a video tutorial for something, and there just… Isn’t one anywhere but YT. Also a lot of the content types just… Aren’t available elsewhere, and it was hard for a while not having some of my favorite YTers to watch. Nebula, and Dropout definitely helped with that part, though, they had enough that it made it easier.
It did make me realize how dependent I was on YT for emotional regulation, though. I have real bad anxiety, and I realized pretty quickly I was watching things to numb it. Podcasts, music, and to a lesser extent books/fanfic have helped with that though. Generally now I’m looking for people who want to make something good, not make money, and that’s lead me down a lot of really interesting rabbit holes in general with art
(I know a lot of artists are trying to make money, and pay your artists, but there’s a difference between “Making something that will sell” and “Making something you’re proud of hoping people will like it” y’know?)
Giving up those socials is a great start, and often times the start is the hardest part. I don’t see Instagram though. Hopefully you have quit them and just forgot to mention, if not, consider this the universe sending you a message motivating you to delete it!
Of all the “content provider websites”, youtube is certainly the hardest part to “cut”. However, the signal to noise ratio of youtube is so low (small signal, large noise) that I pretty much don’t use it anymore. Even good channels are, more and more, going for clickbait and shitty tactics, and AI content. I didn’t really actively cut youtube, but I did so passively. It just became worse and worse that I don’t feel drawn to it as often. And, of course, when I do use youtube, ads are blocked with ublock and SponsorBlock.
In a similar boat in regards to cutting out invasive, rapidly-enshittifying corporate tech providers but I agree that YouTube still has some good content worth it. Good news is that with the use of Invidious servers on desktop and SmartTube / NewPipe on Android TV or mobile you can pretty much have your cake and eat it too.
P.S. if you’re looking for a less shitty / ad bloated way of watching Yt videos on Nvidia Shield Pro or similar Android TV I recently switched from NewPipe to SmartTube and it’s much better since it integrates Sponsorblock and the UI is actually designed for a TV.
I quit commercial Social Media and am only here and on Mastodon. So I’m not spending my time at Facebook, X, TikTok and so on anymore where they can show me ads and make money from them. I’ve moved most of my online stuff to a selfhosted solution and switched my computers to Linux.
The most impactful thing is something different, however: I put solar on my roof. Most of my power consumption is now from solar, which means that all those texan oil barons, saudi sheiks and russian dictators that are funding Trump, are getting less money from me. That are over 1000€ every year that I’m saving and that is not going into their pockets. And it is good for the environment, too!
My next plan. And shamefully but a FU to the energy Omani’s is a log burning stove.
I feel bad as I like to conserve, and I try to be non waste but it feels polluting.
Bezos can’t have my money.
This one’s tough! Have you found online shopping alternatives to get stuff? Just curious.
Mostly just don’t buy as much shit. When I do need something find a site that specialises in that. Some I recently used: Brew2Bottle, Heinnie Haynes, SJS Cycles
Never in my life have I given 2 week’s notice. If they can fire me without warning I can quit whenever the fuck I feel like it.
You give two weeks so you leave on good terms, not because you have to. Have you never needed a referral for a job?
Im not him, but i just use a friendly coworker, if that person is also the manager then thats just great. Ive usually worked for mega corps and large factories though. I never see the owners, just fellow wageslaves a rung or two higher on the ladder.
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Tell the coworker so they can book holiday. Tell no one else.
I repair hardware where possible , buy second hand tech. Sail the seas. Running a tor relay. Only buy out of necessity
I don’t buy stuff. I haven’t bought clothes in 5+ years (new or thrifted). I pirate epubs, games, shows, and movies. I don’t have any monthly subscription–no Deezer, Netflix, AppleSomething, Amazon, nothing. I grow 90% of the veggies I eat, most of the fruit. I trade for meat and bread.
I’ve never used Uber, UberEats, Doordash, AirB&B, or any of their competitors.
I’m happy.That sounds kinda cool, especially the growing your own veggies part, wish I could do that
It’s awesome. Real cucumbers are so tasty. Fava beans. Squash. Spinach. Sun-warmed tomatoes. Brussel sprouts. Salads. All the herbs. All the jams, jellies, and juices. And enough apple pie filling for 40 pies. I love my life.
Do you live in a city? There’s a pretty cool channel on youtube that shows how to grow a garden in urban areas. Unfortunately I don’t even have a balcony
Working on Lemmy, instead of selling my soul to a company.
Thanks for creating all this for us!
I use Linux on my laptop and a GrapheneOS on my phone. I use almost all FOSS software, so they’re not getting most of my data and selling it like they used to. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not hurting any of the bigtech.
making a list and checking it twice
Nice try.
Moved out of the US, legally stopped paying earned income taxes using the FEIE via physical presence test, an IRS procedure that allows you not to pay taxes if you live outside of the US for 330 or more days out of 365 consecutive days including the day you pay taxes.
Now go through more hoops to renounce citizenship.
Started a mutual aid group in our small town. Mostly deals with some local agriculture etc but hoping to expand it to more community needs etc. Trying to make the local community more resilient in turbulent times
